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LETTERS 
RELATIVE To A 

TOUR ON THE CONTINENT, 

UWDEHTAKEN AT THE BEaUEST 015 

THE COMMITTEE 

OP THK 

BRITISH AND FOREIGN 
BIBLE SOCIETY^ 

IN THE YEAR 1812. 
BV 

The Rev. CH. FR/STEINKOPFF, M. A. 

Miuister of the German Lutheran Church in the Savoy-j 
and Foreign Secretary to the said Society. 



FIRST AMERICAN EDITION 




BURLINGTON, N.J. 




Published by Datid Aieinson. 




Lexicon Press, 




1815. 








■■■•■■v;^^>^_^ 





PREFACE. 



THE Author respectfully submits th€ 
'ollowing Letters to the candid perusal of d 
British Puhlick. He has printed them at the 
request oj several highly esteemed Jriends to 
whose wishes he felt the more disposed to accede^ 
as various extravagant and erroneous reports 
had been circulated concerning his jour neif^^ 

They are addressed to his respected colleagues% 
the Rev. John Owen^ of Fulham^ and the Rev^ 
Joseph Hughes^ ofBattersea^ with whom he has 

* The Author, deviating for a moment from the subject 
mmediately before him, embraces this opportunity of de= 
daring, that he cannot consider himself responsible for the 
accuracy of any statements which appear in printed report! 
of his speeches delivered at the formation of bible societiesf^ 
unless they have been previously submitted to his revision 
and correction. 



IV 



had the honour and happiness of labouring in the 
cause of the society from its commencement to 
this dayy with a degree ofregardy harmony^ and 
affection^ which he has always considered a pe- 
culiar blessing from God. Their contents are al- 
most entirely confined to facts connectedwith the 
great objectjfor the furtherance of which, the 
author was induced to undertake this journey^ 
fiamely^ the diffusion of the holy Scriptures in 
different parts of the continent. His state- 
ments willi of course, principally regard the 
wants which it is the design of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society to ascertain, in 
order to their being supplied. The representa- 
tions therefore contained in the following pages, 
will no more justify a sweeping conclusion 
against the fitate of the countries to -ivhich they 
refer, than the recent discoveries made of simi- 
lar wants in Great Britain woula, against the 
benevolent character^ and religious condition, cf 
this happy and highly favoured land^ 



Should these pages in the smallest degree 
contribute to the promotion of the glory of 
Gody and the advancement of the interests of 
the British and Foreign Bible Society; should 
they tend to strengthen the delightful bond 
of union which subsists between British and 
Continental christiaiis^ the author would most 
sincerely rejoice^ and consider himself amply 
compensated for any trouble and anxiety which 
attended his late journey. 



LETTERS, 



LETTER I. 

Gothenburgv June 22, 1812. 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

Thus far the kind Providence of God has 
led me, not without some trials and dangers, 
but still in as easy a manner as I could expect, 
considering the present state of affairs. I met 
with a very kind reception from the Rev. 
Mssrs. Stahre and Henderson and other 
friends in Gothenburg, and was also intro- 
duced to the Governour, who, in consequence 
of Baron de Rehausen's letter of recommenda- 
tion, treated me with great kindness^ and af- 



8 

forded me every assistance for facilitating my 
journey • My passport from Copenhagen, foi^ 
which Mr. Horneman a member of our com- 
mittee had the goodness to apply, is not yet 
arrived; but the Danish Consul at this place 
told me that 1 need not wait for it. I there- 
fore intend, with Mr. Henderson, to set out 
on thursday for Helsingburg, where we hope 
to meet with Mr. Paterson. This gentleman 
has been very successful in the establishment 
of a Finnish Bible Society at Abo, as you wdll 
learn from the inclosed documents, which I 
am confident will fill your hearts, and those of 
all the members of the committee, with lively 
emotions of joy and gratitude. I met here 
with two pious Swedish clergymen from 
Skane, father and son. When I inquired into 
the state of their parishes with regard to the 
Bible, both agreed that a considerable want 
existed among their poor. ^^ I have'^ said the 
younger Clergyman, "about 300 families in 
*' my parish, most of them in needy ciraim- 



" stances, and I really believe scarcely 20 pes^ 
" sess a Bible." — ^' Here/' I said secretly to 
myself, %the Providence of God presents you 
" with a fair opportunity, of making the first 
" use of the means intrusted to you by the 
^'British and Foreign Bible Society." I 
therefore presented them with the gift of 20/. 
to enable them to supply part of this want; 
at the same time, I stirred them up to use all 
their influence with the w^ealthier members of 
their congregations and vicinities, that not one 
of their indigent families might be left without 
a Bible. Their surprise, joy, and gratitude, 
at my unexpected offer, were very great; they 
blessed God, they admired the benevolence of 
the Society, they seemed to regard me as a 
messenger from Heaven. I requested them to 
institute a more general inquiry into the want 
of the Scriptures, not only in their own pa- 
rishes, but in others too; and to inform me of 
the result. I also agreed with Mr. Henderson 
to solicit the Committee for a supply of Bibles 



10 

and testaments in the English, Fi-ench, Ger- 
man, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, 
and Danish languages, for sale, or gtetuitous 
distribution among the numerous merchants, 
captains and sailors, who visit this port. 

My worthy friend, Dr. Brunnmark, will 
have the goodness to consult Mr. Tottie about 
the best means of conveying them free of ex- 
pense, to the Rev. Mr. Stahre and Mr. Jonas 
Keilberg, who, with some other friends, will 
charge themselves with the disposal of them. 
And now, farewell, my dear friends. Thank 
God for the perfect safety which you enjoy in 
your travels; and pray for your friend, who will 
soon come to countries where he will indeed 
want all the simplicity of the dove, and all the 
wisdom of the serpent. 

Present my kindest respects to the whole of 
our bible committee, with its excellent Pre- 
sident and Vice-presidents. Next week I ex- 



11 

pect to be in Copenhagen, if it be the will of 
God. 

Yours very respectfully, 

St. 

The documents referred to in the letter, are 

the following: 

TranslatioTi of an Article inserted in the Aho Gazette 
March 24^ylSi2. 

ABO. 

«^ The following extract, from the circular letter issued by 
the ecclesiastical Consistory of this place to the clergy in 
the diocese of Abo, certainly deserves to be made publickfor 
the more general information of our fellow-citizens. 

** The edition of the Finnish bible which was printed 
in the year 1776, having long ago been completely ex- 
haustedj, and such copies as were at times to be pro- 
cured hearing consequently the exorbitantly high price of 
from fifteen to twenty rix-doUars, it was contemplated as 
a desirable measure, that steps should be taken for printing 
anew edition of the holy Scriptures. In the mean time 
the following unexpected occurrence took place. A worthy 
member of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 
London, the Rev. John Paterson (who still resides for 
the present in Stockhohn, with a view to assist in the 
execution of an edition of the Swedish bible on standing 
types, through the generous contribution of the above- 
mentioned Society), came to Abo, with the offer of 500L 



12 



sterling, in aid of a similar edition of the Bible in the lan- 
guage of Finland. The matter was immediately reported 
to his Excellency Baron Steinheil, the Governour-general, 
who, with his wonted attention to, and zeal for every 
thing good and noble, was pleased without delay, to give 
a favourable representation of the above offer to his Ma- 
jesty the Emperour; to which his Excellency shortly after 
received the following answer from his Excellency Mr. 
Speransky, Secretary of State and Privy Counsellor, dated 
Petersburg. Got. 20, 1811; a translation of which he h^as 
communicated to the Consistory:" 

•^Having, in consequence of your Excellency's letter, 
^ had the honour, with all due submission, to lay before 

* his Imperial Majesty the proposition made by the Rev. 

* John Paterson, with a view to the printing of the Bible in 
« the Finnish language; his Imperial Majesty has not only 
^ been graciously pleased to signify his approbation of the 
« offer, but also, desirous himself to contribute to the dis- 
^ tribution of the Holy Scriptures, has granted from his 
f own private purse the sum of five thousand rubles to be 

* applied by your Excellency to this object, respecting 
t the remittance of which to your Excellency I have 

written to Privy Counsellor Gurjew," 

** Where is the good and well-disposed Finnish citizen, who 
does not gratefully bless this fresh proof of the zealous soli* 
citude of his Imperial Majesty for the real and supreme 
welfare of his Finnish subjects; as well as the indefatigable 
and benevolent care of a foreign nation to disseminate and 
perpetuate to the latest age, even in these distant regions, 
the true knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, by means of 

that Word which he )iath revealed for our Ulummation and 

salvatioj?? 



IB 

,"Bj this generous assistance, to which we hope soon to 
add the equally noble contributions of our own feliow« 
citizens, the foundation is laid of an undertaking whiclx 
cattimot but be crowned with success and the richest bles- 
m^: inasmuch as an edition of the Bible on standing types 
not only supplies the present generation, but at the same 
tim© furnishes the surest means of putting the Scriptures into 
the hands of the most remote posterity, at a moderate price, 
without any further expenses than what the paper and print =- 
ing necessarily require." 



LeUm'' of the Emperor ofBusszay to the Governour -general 
of Finland. Wilna, May 13, 1812. 

«* Being persuaded that religion is the most powerful instru- 
' ment for raising the morals of a people, and that, wheu 

* maintained in purity, it is the strongest band of support 

* to the state; and having taken into consideration the neces- 

* sity, of increasing the means of enabling our faithful Finnish 

* subjects to gain a right knowledge of the Supreme Being, 

* and of the excellency of their religion; we have accord- 

* ingly, in agree i.ient with what a number of respectable 
Finnish citizens of all classes have proposed, been gra- 

« ciously pleased to approve oi the printing of the Finnish 
« Bible with standing types, as tending, in a high degree, to 

* promote this end. As the expense of such an undertaking 

* must necessarily exceed what could be collected among the 

* inhabitants themselves, we have therefore in compliance 

* with your humble request, been graciously pleased to grant 

* that part of corn tithes which was originally appropriated to 
« printing the Holy Scriptures, but which in latter times has 

B 



1^ 



* been used for state purposes, to be applied foi^ftrc years, 
^ beginning with the year 1812, in aid of printing the above- 

* mentioned edition of tlie Finiiish bible: and will beg you to 

* communicate this resolution, in the usual manner, to thft 
^ parties concerned. 

(Signed) ALEXANDER.'' 



Fv67u Baron Amiiioff to the Governoiir-general of Finland, 
Petersburg^ May 27, 1812. 

* SiH, 

* At the same time that I have the honour to transmit 

* you his Majesty's letter, in which you are made acquainted 
® with his resolution to grant the Finnish Bible Society the 
^ quantity of corn they have required, I have also to inform 

* you, that his Majesty has been graciously pleased to permit 

* them to open a subscription over all his Majesty's dominions 
^ where the Finnish language is spoken; as also to import, 

* duty-tree, all the articles necessary for the proposed edition ' 
•» of the Finnish bible." 



lb 



LETTER II. 

Helsingburgj June, SO, !ai2. 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

I DOUBT not but you have received 

my letter from Gothenburg. I left that town 

on Thursday (the 20th inst.) accompanied by 

Mr. Henderson, who, from his knowledge of 

the country and language, proved very useful 

tome. Our journey was attended with trouble 

and difficulty: pouring rains had swelled the 

rivers; our carriage had repeatedly to pass 

through very deep water, which at one time 

even entered into it, and completely wetted our 

feet. On the evening of thursday, we came to a 

small town and fortress called Warberg, where 

a pious clergyman resides. He is the curate 

of a populous parish for which he receives only 

201. per annum, and has a large family; he is 

therefore under the necessity of keeping a 

school, which, in addition to the great atten- 



16 

tion he pays to the discharge of his ministerial 
duties, renders his hfe very laborious. He is 
indefatigable in doing good; and enjoys the 
great satisfactlfen of seeing the work of the 
Lord prosper in his hands. He is a member 
of the Evangelical Society at Stockholm, fmm 
which he received several new testaments for 
the supply of his poor parishioners. Among 
the rest he gave a copy to a woman, who has 
now read it five times with such attention and 
delight, that she has made rapid progress in 
divine knowledge, and makes very sensible re- 
marks even on difficult passages. There is one 
rich, active, and charitable Lady in his parish, 
who assists him greatly in his acts of benevo- 
lence; yet there still remain 300 poor families 
destitute pf the Scriptures. Having heard this 
excellent man relate all these circumstances, I 
felt truly happy, as an almoner of the so- 
ciety's bounty, to relieve the want of some of 
his poor people; and presented him with 10/. 
to purchase a number of the Stockholm so- 



1^. 

ir 

ciety^s bibles and testaments, for sale, or gra- 
tuitous distribution, at his discretion- The 
good man (who reminded me of Goldsmith's 
country clergyman) looked at me with an air 
of grateful surprise, which no words can de« 
scribe. In the morning of the 27th we visited 
Dean Alsing, whose parish contains a popula- 
tion of about 1700 souls. He showed me a 
paper, from which I saw with astonishment 
and pleasure, that he had ordered no less than 
1258 bibles and testaments from the Stock- 
holm society, for the benefit of his own pa- 
rishioners and those of the adjoining villages, 
who had cheerfully subscribed ^for copies. 
" Still," added he, " there are perhaps 100 poor 
" families in my own parish, and as many in 
^^ each of the 11 other parishes that belong to 
« my deanery, who are unable to pay for them." 
This at once proved the real want which sub- 
sisted previous to the establishment of the 
evangelical society; the great attention of the 

dean to these wants, the moment he saw he 

B 2 



18 

could supply them; and the ileed of further 
assistance. I left him the sum of 12/. 

Last Sunday we spent with another Swedish 
Clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Thulin, who resides 
about four English miles from this place, and 
has about 2000 people under his care. He is so 
active in promoting the benevolent views of the 
Stockholm society, that he has procured about 
800 subscribers, for their first edition of the 
Swedish bible, in his parish and its vicinity. He 
possesses the advantage of having some rich 
and benevolent individuals in it, who lay them- 
selves out for the good of their fellow-creatures; 
but, considering the extent of his parish, and 
the oportunities he enjoys of distributing the 
Scriptures among the poor in neighbouring 
parishes, I agreed with Mr. Henderson to pre- 
sent him with 10/. The same sum I granted 
to the Rev. Mr. Wick, a Moravian minister 
who resides in Carlscrona, and in his annual 
visits through several Swedish provinces re- 



19 

ceives frequent applications for Bibles. The 
assistant Minister of Mr. Thulin is the Rev* 
Mr. Sundius, an excellent old man of 73, whom 
I heard address a number of pious Swedish pea- 
sants of both sexes. My mind was deeply affect- 
ed by this interesting scene. On monday morn- 
ing Mr. Paterson arrived from Stockholm, af- 
ter a fatiguing journey of four days and nights. 
We have since spent most of our time in a close 
review of all the past operations of our society 
in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Lapland. 
I rejoice to hear of the great activity of the 
Stockholm society, and of the peculiar atten« 
tion which its committee had bestowed in pre- 
senting the publick with as correct a copy of the 
bible as they possibly could. No less than six 
correctors were employed; among whom their 
venerable President, the Right Hon. G.Leyon- 
mark. Knight of the Order of the Polar Star, 
Vasa,&c.|particularly distinguished himself, by 
discovering errors of the press which had es^ 
caped younger eyes. 



20 

Tlie Stockholm society becomes more gene- 
rally known in Sweden, and has already afford- 
ed many important advantages to the inhabit- 
ants of that country. The Finnish Bible Socie- 
ty is composed of most respectable characters, 
and promises, extensive and lasting usefulness. 
As it is probable that the Finnish octavo bible 
on standing types will be printed at Peters- 
burg, and Mr. Paterson has been requested 
to superintend the printing of the same, a door 
of entrance into that important city seems to be 
opened to him. He intends immediately to 
proceed thither by way of Stockholm and Abo. 
Mr. Henderson is to go to Copenhagen, to as- 
sist. in the execution of the Icelandic bible, of 
which twenty sheets have left the press; and to 
proceed thence to Iceland, in order to see them 
properly distributed, provided he can obtain a 
passport from the Danish government. We 
are now looking forward to our different desti- 
nations: we inform, advise, strengthen, cheer 
and encourage each other; and I am fully per- 



21 

suaded, that our meeting and consulting toge- 
ther will, under the blessing of God, conduce to 
the best interests of our society. 

' July 1. —To-morrow morning, (God will- 
ing) I shall set my foot on Danish territory: I 
see it before me from the heights of this town. 
Strange feelings arise in my breast, but I trust 
in God! to Him I commit myself and my fellow^ 
labourers. Their deeds are their best praise ; 
they have done much for the dissemination of 
the holy scriptures in the northern parts of Eu- 
rope, and if God spare their lives, and continue 
to prosper their way, they are likely to do still 
more. I recommend them, as well as myself, 
to the affectionate remembrance, and the united 
prayers of all the members of the society. 

I request Mr. Paterson to send you at the 
expense of our societ}^, ten Lapland bibles and 
as many testaments, (in addition to the six 
copies which are on their way to our library,) 



22 

as I think a good use may be made of them for 
the benefit of our society, by making a present 
of them to publick libraries in England and 
in foreign parts. I also desired Mr. Paterson 
to inquire, whether one or two hundred copies 
of the Lapland bible published by the late Bish- 
op Nordin, for sale among the laplanders, can- 
not be purchased by our society at a moderate 
price, for gratuitous distribution among the 
most needy of that interesting peoplf . 

The gospel of St. Mark in the Chinese, the 
Pentateuch in Bengalee, and the Hagiographa 
in the Orissa, are very serviceable to me: 
wherever I show them, they are looked at with 
high interest and delight. 

Farewell, my dear friends. Will you remem- 
ber me in the most respectful manner to our 
excellent President, to Lord Gambier, to Mr* 
Vansittart, Mr. Wilberforce, and all the mem- 
bers of our Bible committee? To serve my 



God aiid my generation, and to be employed 
by such men as these, I count an honour and 
happmess. 

Yours most aiFectionately, etc* 



LETTER Ill- 
Copenhagen, July 7j 1812, 

MJ DEAR FRIENDS, 

You have, I trust, duly received my letters 
from Gothenburg and Helsingburg, I caia 
now inform you, that, by the goodness of God, 
I am arrived in safety at this capital. I first 
visited Mr. Thorkelin, counsellor of state, and 
one of the Knights of the Danebrug order who 
is a native of Iceland, a gentleman of taste and 
learningjand busily engaged in revising and cor- 



£4* 

recting the Icelandic bible now printing in this 
place. He has just completed the 20th sheet, 
and will do every thing to expedite the business. 

At the same time I cannot but earnestly 
wish, that God may incline the heart of his 
Danish Majesty'^5to permit Mr. Henderson to 
spend the winter in Copenhagen; as his resi- 
dence on the spot would in every way be con- 
ducive to the accomplishment of the work, and 
the best interests of our society. Mr. Thorke- 
lin tells me, that only four editions of the whole 
Icelandic bible have been published, namely: 

1 in the year 1584?, folio, (1000 copies. 

1 - - 164^, ditto, (1000 ditto.) 

1 - - 1728, ditto, (very faulty.) 

1 1747, quarto, (500 copies. 

of all which he thinks scarcely one hundred 
copies remain in the whole island. 

* I am happy to state, that his Danish Majesty has gra- 
ciously complied with Mr. Heuder^ou's re<iuest. 



23 

Of the Icelandic new testament he showed 
me three editions, viz. those of 154^5, ±60$, 
and 1750. 

Of the 5000 copies of the Icelandic new 
testament, part of which was printed at the 
expense of a benevolent Danish society, (the. 
Fuhnen) and the other at ours, about 1700 
copies have been sent(bound)to Iceland, where 
they were received with eagerness and gratis 
tude. Of the remainder, several hundred copies 
are already bound; the rest I ordered to be got 
ready as soon as possible, that Mr. Henderson 
may take them with him, in case he should ob- 
tain permission to proceed to Iceland. 

With regard to the 50/. voted by our society 
for the benefit of poor Danish families which 
are destitute of the scriptures; Mr. Bosen, a 
trusty and excellent man, has purchased out of 
this money 66 Bibles and 500 Testaments, part 
of which he has sent to Norway, Fuhnen, and 



26 

Jutland; and will soon dispose of the rest in a 
similar manner. 

Mr. Thorkelin introduced me to Bishop 
JMunter; who, as bishop of Zealand, holds the 
first rank among the twelve Danish bishops • 
He is a man of extensive learning and great ur- 
banity of manners; he excels in biblical lite- 
rature, and possesses one of the best collections 
of Bibles in different languages. When I 
simply related what our society had done, and 
showed him some specimens,he expressed equal 
astonishment and pleasure; still more was he 
pleased, when I presented him with a copy 
of our new testament in the ancient and mo* 
dern Greek. He showed me every scarce and 
interesting bible in his possession. Among 
them I notice a few, viz. 
An Armenian biblei Amsterdam, 1666; a 

second, 1698. 
A Virginian ditto, Bambridge, 1685. 
A Finnish ditto, 1685. 



i 



27 

The Crcol new testament, Copenhagen, 1781^ 
Two editions of the Ethiopic psalms, one 
printed in Rome, the other Ludolf's edi- 
tion. 
The two oldest Danish testaments, one trans« 
lated from the Vulgate in 1524, the other 
from Luther's version in 1531» 

I asked him, whether it might not be possible 
to procure some of those editions for our li* 
brary, and also some Hebrew and Latin biblesj, 
the Septuagint, &€• He replied, " A few per- 
** haps might be got, but all of them, even the 
*' latter, were very scarce in Copenhagen.'* I 
requested Mr. Thorkelin to purchase what he 
could. 

The Bishop expressed to me his grateful sense 
of the benefit, which both our society and that' 
for promoting christian knowledge, had con- 
ferred on the Danish prisoners of war ; the 
former by printing for them the Danish new 



28 

testament, the other by printing the Danish 
psahn-book. He also signified his wish, to ob- 
tain a copy of our Danish testament for every 
one of the twelve Danish Bishops, and as many 
of the Society's editions for himself as might 
conveniently be spared. I left him a specimen 
of Mr* Morrison's translation of St. Luke in 
Chinese, which pleased him so much, that he 
said he would show it to the Synod of the 
Zealand clergy, convened for Wednesday. 

From the Bishop, I proceeded with Mr» 
Thorkelin to the royal library; where I de- 
posited, in the name of our society, a copy of 
the ancient and modern Greek testament, a 
copy of St. John's gospel in the Eskimaux 
language, and a copy of the Arabic bible. 

The librarians present expressed their obli- 
gation to the society in strong terms, admiring 
particularly that generous spirit, which, in the 
midst of war, knew of no war. They also 



S9 

eacrnestly requested, that a complete set of all 
the Society's editions might be sent to the royal 
library, as soon as circumstances would permit* 

I endeavoured to obtain accurate information 
on the question, " Are the scriptures actually 
" wanting among the poor of the Danish do« 
*^ minionsj and to what extent?" As to the 
Icelandick bible, the point is decided'— a real 
want of it exists; it also appears that many 
of the German inhabitants of Copenhagen are 
without bibles. The Rev. Mr. Gericke, a 
respectable German minister in this city who 
had been twenty years chaplain to the Danish 
embassy in Paris, stated to me, that several 
Germans had applied to him for bibles, but 
that he had been unable to supply them. 

In regard to Danish bibles, the accounts differ 
much: while a young active clergyman of this 
town boldly and firmly asserted, that not more 
than one in ten possessed a bible; several trulv 

C 2 ^ 



30 

respectable and aged clergymen expressed their 
conviction, that almost every family in Copen- 
hagen was supplied with one or more copies of 
the bible; and that, though in the country some 
of the poor were certainly destitute of the scrip- 
tures, their number was not very considerable. 
Thus at least, they added, we found it in our 
.younger days, though we allow that now some, 
deterioration may have taken place, on account 
of the total disregard in which this Sacred book 
is held by many. Both bishop Miinter and 
bishop Ball agreed in the statement, that a con- 
siderable number of their poor would be found 
without a bible, while they lamented that there 
ivas so little apparent desire to obtain it. 

I visited yesterday a most respectable noble- 
man. Baron Mesting, who is President of the 
German chancery for Holstein and Sleswick, 
a friend of the bible and of all religious people. 
He lamented that so many slighted and even 
<^espised the bible; rejoiced at what was doing 



Si 

m Great Britain and other parts of the world, 
for the propagation and circulation of the holy 
scriptures; stated that an edition of the bible 
was now printing in Altona; and expressed a 
hope that something might be done in Hoi- 
stein and Sleswick* 

Bishop Ball, whom I likewise visited, and to 
whom I have already referred, is a venerable old 
man of 73: he was 25 years bishop of Zealand, 
but obliged to resign, in consequence of various 
infirmities attendant on his advanced age. He 
has been a most active champion of Christiani« 
ty; and when the bible was attacked in a peri- 
odical work, called Jesus and Reason^ he stood 
boldly forward in defence of it by the celebrated 
publication, "The bible its own defence.'^ When 
I told him of the establishment, the exertions, 
and the success of the bible Society, the good 
old man seemed full of holy joy; he took my 
hands, pressed them, and thanked me over and 
over again, that I had come to see him, and 



bfbught him such good news. I must now 
conclude: farewell, I proceed to Altona. 

^ My best respects to all the members of our 
committee. 

P. S.^yuly 8 ^Roeskilda, the ancient ca- 
pital of Denmark — I had the very great plea- 
sure of meeting in this place with the Rev. Mr. 
Rosing*, the late excellent minister of the 
Danish church in London, who has obtained a 
. living about ten English miles from this town. 
You cannot think what a lively interest he takes 
in the flourishing state of our society. I have 
requested him and several other worthy clergy- 
men to make still further inquiries, and also 
authorized them to order a certain number of 
Danish bibles from the Copenhagen orphan- 
house for the supply of their poor. 

* It was on the application of this worthy clergyman, that 
the Danish new testament was printed hy the British and 
Foreign Bible Society; and he kindly undertook the (iorrea- 
tion of the press and the distribution of the copies* 



LETTER rv. 

Helsingburg, Nov. 14, ISlig, 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

As circumstances oblige me to stay at 
Helsingburg till my passport from Stockholm 
arrives, I shall embrace this opportunity of 
continuing the accounts which^in my three first 
letters, I began to give you of the proceedings 
of my journey «» 

The letter with which I terminated that ac^ 
count, was dated from Copenhagen. I left tha^ 
city on the 7th of July, and met in Roeskilda 

9 

as I have already mentioned, with my excellent 
friend the Rev. Mr. Rosing, late minister of the 
Danish church in London, with whom I had 
several interesting conversations relative to the 
s^tate of the bible in his native land* He ex- 



54 

pressed a concern, that among many of his 
countrymen, and even among some of the cler- 
gy, an indifference, yea contempt of the holy 
scriptures prevailed; which representation was 
confirmed by the additional testimony of other 
truly respectable clergymen and gentlemen, 

« In Norway,'' said he, " I offered copies of 
>« the Danish new testament, kindly given me 
" by the British and Foreign Bible Society, to 
*^ some clergymen; but they received my offer 
" with such coldness and indifference, that I 
" felt no inclination to repeat it. My own 
** private conviction is, that, on an average, four 
i' out of five persons in Denmark are without a 
** bible. In my own parish, which is not one 
" of the poorest,.I found a greater want of the 
^^ scriptures than I supposed, and am deter- 
*' mined to do every thing in my power to re- 
** lieve it." I authorized him to purchase from 
the bible depository at Copenhagen, 300 co- 
pies of the Danish bible, which he did; and 



he had already begun the distribution of them 
when I returned. 

At Christiansfield, a Moravian settlement 
on the confines of Jutland and Sleswick, I met 
with several clergymen belonging to the 
Fuhnen Society, which by its own laudable 
exertions had sold at a low price, or gratuitously 
distributed, many hundred Danish testaments. 

1 o encourage this small, but excellent body 
of men, and to increase their means of doing 
good, I left with the Rev. Mr. Balsley, their 
treasurer, the sum of 120/. which was received 
by all present with the most lively emotions of 
joy and gratitude, and will enable them to dis- 
tribute several hundred copies of the Danish 
bible, as well as a large number of testaments, 
to the many needy persons and families in their 
parishes and vicinities. One of them, the Rev. 
Mr. Ebbesen, pastor of a congregation in the 
duchy of Skswick, when lately visiting his 



S6 

parish from house to house, found, among 120 
families, 70 who were without bibles. Another 
clergyman who did the same, found among 
200 families, 150 who had not a copy of the 
bible* Some parishes, it is true, are better 
provided for, butothers are still more deficient. 
I cannot describe In terms sufficiently strong, 
the lively and deep interest which many of the 
good people in Christiansfield are taking,in the 
exertions of the British and Foreign bible So- 
ciety. I could scarcely tell them enough. Some 
literally wept for joy; they praised God; and a 
widow (her name is unknown to me, but well 
known in heaven) sent me four Frederick 
d'ors, (about four guineas) with the following 
lines, which deeply affected me. — " Please to 
*' accept this mite from a widow, as a small 
** contribution to the bible Society. May the 
" Lord abundantly bless it! This is the cordial 
** wish of a lover of Christ, who highly esteems 
" the bible Society, and prays that it may be 
^ rewarded a thousand fold." 



In the Dutchies of Sleswick and Holstein the 
<Jerman language is generally spoken^ it is the 
language of the pulpit and the press. Passing 
through Hadersleben, Flensburg, Sleswick, 
Rendsburg, Itzehoe, and other smaller towns, I 
came to Altona- In Flensburg and Sleswick I 
was assured, that almost every person was pro- 
vided with a bible or testament; but in other 
towns, and still more in small and remote 
villages, people on the spot, who were best 
judges of the matter, informed me, that hun- 
dreds and thousands were destitute of the 
scriptures. 

In Altona and Hamburg, the distress among 
the lower classes occasioned by the almost 
total stagnation of trade is so great, that some, 
urged by the importunities of their children for 
bread, sold all their books, and even their fa- 
mily bible. One of these poor creatures came 
to a bookseller, offering his Bible for sale. 

The bookseller, struck with his miserable ap- 
n 



3S 

Ipeiarance, asked the price, gave it him, and 
then returned the bible. *^ God forbid/' said 
he, ** that I should deprive such a poor man 
^* as you of his bible.'* I encouraged my Al- 
tona friends to form a bible committee, which 
they readily promised to do. In general I 
must observe, that I met with many friends of 
the bible in the Danish dominions; and have 
been received and treated with a kindness^ 
which, I trust, I shall always keep in grateful 
remembrance. Persons of different ranks and 
conditions in life,from the highest to the lowest 
classes, seemed to emulate each other in pay« 
ing me marked attention, for the sake of the 
work and the cause in which I was engaged. 



$9 



LETTER V. 

Hclsingburg, Nov. 14, 1812« 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

From Altona I proceeded through Zcll, 
Hanover, Gottingen, Coburg, Bamberg, and, 
Erlangen, to Nurenberg. The three first of 
these towns formerly belonged to the Hanover- 
ian dominions, but now form part of the king* 
dom of Westphalia, Many melancholy reflec- 
tions crowded into my mind, while contrasting 
their former prosperity with their present im- 
poverished state. In Hanover I visited an aged 
and highly respectable gentleman, and inquire^ 
of him how the people were supplied with the 
Scriptures. " Formerly," said he, " well: they 
" were cheap; few families (comparatively 
" speaking) were without them. Those wh» 
" needed them were supplied out of the eccle- 



40 

" siastical funds; and if these did not sufEce, 
** we had only to apply to a parental govern* 
" ment, and the deficiency was made up. But 
"now, things wear quite a different aspect: 
*' distress and poverty are increasing. Many 
" can scarcely satisfy the cries of their children 
" for the bread that perishes; the property of 
" the church is partly gone; several villages 
•'have lately suffered much from fire: all 
* these circumstances occasion a great want of 
•* the Scriptures, especially among young 
" people." Similar language was held by one 
of the principal clergymen of Gottingen. 
Upon my offering to each of them 500 Bibles 
as a present to their poor, their countenances 
brightened; they embraced me; they blessed 
the Society whose instrument I was; and pro- 
mised to solicit their friends to unite with them 
in so good and benevolent a cause, and to 
consider the money arising from the cheap sale 
ofpartofthe Bibles, a small capital, which 



41 

tliey \^ould increase by their own contributions 
and put to the best account. 

The road leads through Erfurt^ a town cele- 
brated in modern times by the meeting of the 
three Emperours* A few miles ifrom it lies 
Neudietendorf, a setdement of the Moravians; 
where I spent a day, and was informed by the 
Minister, that in several of the neighbouring 
parishes a considerable v/ant of the Scriptures 
prevailed. ^' I am,'^ said he, " personally ac« 
'' quainted with ten pious clergymen, several 
f^ of whom have earnestly requested me to 
*' procure them a number of Bibles for their 
**poor parishioners. I bought some at my 
" own expense; but all I could afford was so 
*' small, that it proved very inadequate to their 
<* wants.'' 

I immediately wrote to Dn Knapp in Hallej 
to send this good man 500 of the Cansteia 
Bibles; which, I doubt not, will prove highly 

D3 



^2 

acceptable to many. I had afterwards to travel 
through towns and villages, which belonged to 
the late bishopricks of Wurtzburg and Bam- 
berg, where the Roman Catholick religion pre- 
vails. '^ How many,'^ said I to myself, " how 
' many of my fellow-creatures, that have im- 
" mortal souls as well as I, live in these 
"places, almost entirely unacquainted with 
*' that best of all books, which points out the 
" way of salvation, by faith which is io- Christ 
" Jesus!'* Let those towns and villages be ex-* 
amined, and what will y©u find? Almost in 
every house books of prayers to the saints and 
images; but scarcely in any a bible or a new 
testament. Even many of the schoolmasters 
are without them. 

I hastened to Nurenberg, late a free Impe* 
rial city, now incorporated with the dominions 
of the king of Bavaria. There I met with 
old acquaintances; the Rev. Mr. Schoener» 
Mr. Kiesling, (a pious merchant^ who has 



4a 

proved a blessing to thousands, both Protest- 
ants and Catholicks, chiefly in the Austrian 
dominions,) and many other christian friends ^ 
who were the original founders of the German 
Bible Society, and printed a testament on 
standing types. Our conversation chiefly turned 
upon our favourite subject. Mr. Schoener, 
who is most* highly respected for a long and 
faithful discharge of his ministerial functions, 
and the benevolence of his character, repre- 
sented to me the distressed state of his town, 
once so flourishing by its trade; and assured 
me that some of the poor had, from the em- 
barrasment of their circumstances, actually 
parted even with their family Bible. Mr. 
Kiesling mentioned several Protestant congre- 
gations in Stiria and Carinthia, which had not 
partaken as yet of the Bible-presents from 
England, and for which he earnestly solicited 
help. This solicitation I could not resist: I 
left a sum of money for the immediate pur- 
chase of Bibles and Testaments in Nurenbergs 



4^ 

and also ordered 500 copies from Basle'^, to 
be forwarded by the earliest opportunity to the 
above congregations. I felt an inexpressible 
pleasure in thus dispensing the bread of life j 
and could not but bless God, that, in his infi- 
nite mercy, it had pleased him to call me to 
the performance of this service of Christian 
charity; being fully pursuaded, that the bles- 
sings of the poor, who were ready to perish, 
would come on all their British benefactors* 



LETTER VI. 

Helslngburg, Nov. 15,1812, 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

From Nurenberg I pursued my jour- 
ney, through Wurtemberg, the land of my na- 
tivity, to Stuttgard, the residence of my pa- 

f Frequently spelt B^silj in German^ B.a?el 



45 

rents. When I beheld again the country 
which gave me birth, the towns and \^illages iu 
which I spent my youthful days, the most 
pleasing recollections filled my mind. Still 
there remained an uncertainty, whether I 
should meet my parents and friends alive and 
well; but, thank God! these apprehensions 
were soon removed. The chaise stopped at 
the house of my parents; father and mother^ 
brothers and sisters, ran to meet me; we f^U 
upon each others necks, and scarcely knew 
whether it was reality or a pleasant dream. I 
spent a month in the bosom of my family, and 
enjoyed pleasures, for which I shall ever have 
cause to bless God. 

Wurtemburg has, ever since the Reformat 
tion, been greatly favoured with the light of 
Divine truth: many faithful ministers have been 
successively raised up, and various editions of 
the Holy Scriptures, of all sizes, published. 
In several parishes a distinct fund has long ex» 



46 

isted for supplying the poor with Bibles, Tes* 
laments, and other religious books. Owing, 
however, to the pressure of the times, this 
fund is diminishing; while the number of the 
poor is increasing so much, that some intelli- 
gent men, both of the clergy and the laity, 
well acquainted with the state of their native 
land, expressed a conviction, that should even 
100,000 Bibles be printed immediately, there 
would be ample scope for the disposal of 
them alL Some parish ministers having in* 
stituted an inquiry at my request, found a 
larger number of children, servants, and heads 
©f families, destitute of the Scriptures, than they 

themselves had supposed, I received several 
lists containing the names of individuals, both 
young and old, who anxiously wished and re- 
quested to obtain them. The Rev. Mr. Ann- 
hauser, Superintendent of all the reformed or 
ealvinistic congregations in the kingdom, sent 
me such a list; from which it appeared, that 
these alone wanted many hundred copies, both 



4? 

in the derman and the French languages. After 
many previous conversations with worthy 
individuals, some truly respectable noblemen^ 
dergymen, and gentlemen, repeatedly met^ 
and unanimously adopted the following resn- 
lutions. 

1. That, in the opinion of this meeting, it 
is very desirable to establish a Bible Society^ 
to include the whole of the kingdom of Wur- 
tcmberg; the only design of which shall be, the 
cheap sale, or gratuitous distribution, of the 
Holy Scriptures of the old and new Testa- 
ments, without note or comment. 

2. The copies to be circulated by the Sc« 
ciety among Protestants, shall be Luther's 
authorized version. 

S. That as soon as the Committee have 
completed their inquiries, and taken the need- 
ful preparatory measures, they shall make it a 



point (if possible) to obtain the sanction and 
support of His Majesty the King* 

4'. That the first operation of the Society 
shall be the printing of a large edition of the 
German Bible in a convenient size, with clear 
and legible types, on good paper, and with 
special regard to correctness. 

To encourage this praiseworthy undertak- 
ing, I presented the committee with 200/. and 
also bought 600 Bibles and Testaments of 
different editions and sizes, which I requested 
them to give away, or to sell, according to their 
discretion; and to employ the produce arising 
from the sale, for the general purposes of the 
Society. The Rev. Dr. Sueskind, first chap- 
lain to the King; the Rev. Dr. Flatt, rector 
of the collegiate church in Stuttgard, and 
member of the Supreme Consistory, and 
many other persons of respectability, ap- 
proved of the plan, and promised their sup- 



49 

port, I have no hesitation in saying, that^ 
should God incline the heart of the King to 
patronise the plan, the Wurtemberg Bible So- 
ciety will become a most active and useful one. 
There are thousands of pious people dispersed 
through the land, among the higher, middling, 
and lower classes, who are true reverers of the 
word, and zealous promoters of the kingdom 
of God; many of whom have, for these several 
years past, gladly sent their contributions to 
the Basle Society, and also promoted the sale, 
or gratuitous distribution of its Bibles in their 
respective circles. Several persons, hearing of 
my exertions in this glorious work, blessed the 
Society for them; and others came to the 
house of m}^ parents, imploring the gift of a 
Bible, especially servants, whose hearts were 
gladdened by a compliance with their request 
When I paid a visit to the Rev. Dr. Flatt, (se» 
nior,) Professor of Divinity at the university 
of Tubingen, he anticipated me by the ques- 
tion; " My dear Sir, could you ngt^ during 

Jul 



59 

<^your stay with us, contribute to the esta- 
^^ blishment of a Bible Society? I have 
" longed to see one formed; I will give it 
<< every support in my power, and take care 
** that Bibles and Testaments be judiciously 
*' distributed in Tubingen and its vicinity.'* 

I also came to Balingen, a town which had 
been totally destroyed a few years ago by fire, 
and was j ust rebuilt. Some of the impoverish- 
ed inhabitants had received the present of a 
Bible from the Basle Society; but many re- 
maining unsupplied, I ordered a number for 
their further supply, chiefly that of the schools, 
the worthy teachers of which had personally 
represented their wants to me. 

In Koenigsfeld, (in the Grand Dutchy of 
Baden,) where a Moravian settlement is now 
forming, many Roman Catholicks have made 
urgent applications for bibles and testaments; 
which were so gratifying to my mind, that I 



51 

jsent from Basle 50 copies to the Rev. Mr« 
I'schirpe, who gladly promised to undertake 
their distribution. Thus, in the name of the 
Lord, I cast the bread of life upon the waters, 
in cheerful confidence that I shall see it again 
after many days. 



LETTER VIL 

Helangliurg, Kov. 15, Ut2. 
MY BEAR FRIEKDS, 

From Wurtemberg I paid a short 
visit to Switzerland, that interesting country^ 
which is as much celebrated for the sublimity 
of its natural scenery, as for the heroism which 
its inhabitants have displayed in the cause of 
liberty, justice, and truth. It has not escaped 
the ravages of that tremendous storm which 
has filled Europe with desolation and mir 



52 

sery, Xdt, after the storm, a calm has suc- 
ceededj and Switzerland enjoys at present a 
degree of tranquillity and peaceful repose. 
•^Even of its former spirit of freedom and inde- 
pendence, some remains are to be observed. 
Few are tlie taxes which its inhabitants have to 
pay; no despotick severity is exercised; the tra- 
veller may pass almost from one end of the 
country to the other, without being liable to 
strict examination. In many places not even 
a passport is required. Entering Switzerland 
from Swabia, the first town to which I came 
was Schaff hausen, where I had the satisfaction 
of gazing once more on that sublime spectacle 
of nature, the fall of the Rhine; which more 
than ever commanded my admiration, and in- 
sensibly led my mind to adore the Almighty, 
who, in nature as well as in grace, is wonder^" 
ful in working. 

I was truly gratified to hear, that, influenced 
by the zeal; and stimulated by the active exer* 



tions, of the British and Foreign Bible Society 
a number of christi^ friends in Schaffhausen 
had formed themselves into a Bible Committee, 
publickly announced their plan, collected con- 
tributions among their fellow-citizens, and, for 
these several years past, purchased copies of 
the Basle Bible, which they had sold at the re- 
duced price of about one shilling per copy; 
and that they had met with many inquiries after 
this Book of Life, from inhabitants both of 
the town and country. I conversed with se- 
veral of these worthy men, one of whom is an 
oiRcer in the Militia; encouraged them to go 
on in their good work; and promised to send 
them 200 German Bibles, in order to enable 
them to extend the sphere of their usefulness. 
A letter from the officer, dated Schaffhausen, 
the 30th of September 1812, announces the 
safe arrival of this present, and contains the 
following passage. 

£ 3 



54 

" The Lord has chosen you for a messenger 
"of his people, to go ^orth into different 
*^ countries and places, where many a soul is 
^' panting after the bread and water of life. May 
^' the blessing of our God and the Lord Jesus 
" Christ rest upon you, and upon all with whom 
" you stand connected in the noble design of 
" circulating His Word!" 

From Schaffhausen I went to Winterthur, a 
small but neat and wealthy town, where I was 
informed by an aged Clergyman, that scarcely 
a single poor family exists, and the bible is the 
inmate of almost every house. But the|same 
gentleman observed, that in Thurgau, a popu- 
lous district, where the manufactories are near- 
ly at a stand, the distress among the poor work- 
people is great, and the want of bibles sensibly 
felt. My next stage was to Zurich, one of the 
principal cities in Switzerland, where the cele- 
brated Lavater lived, a benefactor to his coun- 
try and to mankind. It is still graced with some 



of the best men, both Clergy and Laity, 
Among these, Antistes Hess stands pre-emi- 
nent. His age, his learning, his literary works, 
his unblemished character, his indefatigable 
zeal, and the devotion of both his time and his 
talents to the study and recommendation of the 
Holy Scriptures, render him an ornament to his 
town, his country, and the Christian Church. 

A brother of the late Mr. Lavater, who is a 
senator of the city, the Rev- Mr. Gesner, son- 
in-law to that distinguished character, and the 
Rev. Mr. Breitenger, are among the many 
highly respectable men here, who are ready for 
every good word and work. I mentioned to 
them the errand on which I came, and found 
all and each of them willing to promote so 
good, so truly christian a cause. Antistes 
Hess had proposed to his Clergy in town and 
country, the following question, to be answered 
at the general convocation of the Clergy:— 



56 

^^ Is every family in your respective parishes 
*' duly furnished with the Holy Scriptures?'* 
The general answer was, that among those who 
had been married from 30 to 50 years, most 
were in possession of large folio bibles; but 
among younger persons, newly married cou* 
pies, servants and children, the want of bibles 
was considerable. Some expressly added a 
wish, that a Bible Society fpr relieving those 
wants might be formed in Zurich* Thus, by 
the gracious providence of God, I found a pre- 
vious disposition existing to engage in this good 
workj my proposal met with general accept- 
ance; a Bible Committee was soon formed; 
folio and octavo Bibles were purchased^ a new 
edition of the Zurich Bible (which is a differ- 
ent version from that of Luther) was deter- 
mined upon; an Address to the Christian pub- 
lick prepared; and my donation of 250/. recei- 
ved with the utmost gratitude and delight. 



B7 

The sacred joy that beamed in the eye of the 
venerable President of the Zurich Church, and 
the good wishesj, prayers, and blessings he 
poured forth on behalf of our Society and ftie 
British nation, formed a scene too affecting for 
me to describe* Swiftly passed the hours I 
spent in the company of these excellent men; 
my spirit felt refresTied^ my zeal was rekindled; 
my resolution to perform my blessed charge^ 
in spite of all difficulties and dangers^ with ala- 
crity and vigour, was renewed; and I left 
Zurich, still more charmed with its Christian 
inhabitants, than with the beautiful sight of the 
Glaciers, illumined as they theu were by the 
ray^ of the rising sun^ 



' ' 58 

LETTER Ylil. 

Helsingburg, Nor. 16^ 1812. 

MV DEAR FRIENDS, 

On the 24th day of August I left Zurich, 
accompanied by the good wishes and prayers of 
many, and pursued my journey to Basle. The 
road led along the romantick banks of the river 
Limmat, whose pure streams had been mingled 
with the blood of so many brave soldiers, who 
fell in the famous battle fought between the 
combined Austrian and Russian armies, and the 
French troops under Massena. Thank God! 
the noise of war has now ceased in these parts; 
peace and plentv are returned; the shouts of the 
reapers were heard; loads of corn were carry- 
ing home; the cattle were grazing in the mea- 
dows; marks of prosperity appeared every 
where; and my soul was joyful in the God of 
my salvation. A chain of the Glaciers still pre- 



59 

sented itself to my view; scarcely could I pre^ 
vail on myself, to turn my eye from these stu- 
pendous monuments of the power and glory of 
God. In the evening I arrived at Aarau5a small 
town in the Canton Argovia, (Argau,) which 
is favoured with two excellent Ministers. They 
labour in harmony and peace; preach the same 
Gospel, lead their hearers to the same Saviour, 
distribute the same bible, and pursue the same 
end— the glory of God and the salvation of 
souls. Owing to their united exertions, the word 
of Christ dwells richly in the houses of their 
hearers; they make an annual collection for the 
support of the German Bible Society at Basle, 
and disperse its bibles through the surrounding 
towns and villages. I rose early next morning 
to reach the latter city, where I had spent six 
happy years of my life, and where the Lord has 
a numerous people. Passing the Hauenstein, a 
high and steep mountain through which the 
road has been cut, I went on foot in order to 
have a better view of all the varying prospects 



wHich present themselves from its different 
points. I had scarcely descended on the other 
side into the vale, when I found myself in the pa- 
rish of an excellent Clergyman, a man of genius, 
and a friend to religion and humanity. In his 
house I was welcomed by several of my Basle 
friends, who had come 18 or 20 miles to meet 
me; and was conducted by them to the scene 
of my former labours and pleasures. I found 
myself soon surrounded with old acquaintances; 
and felt ashamed and bowed down under a sense 
of the unmerited goodness of God towards me. 
Indeed, goodness and mercy have followed me 
all the days of my life! I found not only the 
same faces, but also the same hearts, the same 
affection and confidence. I attended the com- 
mittee of the German Bible Society. In the ab- 
sence of Dr. Herzog, who is a venerable old 
man of 86, the Rev. Mr. Merian, Antistes of 
the Basle Clergy, who is in his 80th year, took 
the chair, supported by a number of respectable 
clergymen and gentlemen i he requested me to 



61 

give the Committee an account of the operations 
of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which 
I did in as concise a manner as I could. They 
listened to my relation with the utmost atten- 
tion; and at the close loudly praised God for all 
that He had done on behalf of His people, par- 
ticularly through the instrumentality of En- 
gland. On their part, they presented me with 
a written statement of the proceedings of their 
Society; which, while it exhibits concisely the 
steps they had taken, proves at the same time 
what faithful and active stewards they are* 
They take minutes of all their transactions, keep 
their money accounts in the most regular way^ 
have their own printing-press and Bible depos- 
itory, and publish from time to time a report of 
their proceedings. They enjoy the confidence 
of the public, and have a number of annual sub- 
scribers; in the list of whom, the Landammaa 
and several others of their first publick charac- 
ters are to be found. Seeing that every thing 
was conducted with such zeal and prudence, 

F 



6^ 

order and regularity, I felt the more happy ia 
having such good news to tell, and such powers 
to assist them; I therefore 

1st, Informed them of the double grant of our 
Society, one of 300/. for the printing of the old 
Romanese Testament; and the other of 300A 
for enabling them gratuitously to distribute a 
large number of their German and French 
Bibles. 

2d, I paid them several sums of money for 
orders they had executed, agreeably to former 
resdutions of our Committee. 

Sd, I gave them fresh orders for sending, 
SOO German Bibles to SchafFhauscn. 
200 ditto ditto tq St. Gall. 
SOO ditto ditto to Austria. 
200 ditto ditto to Carlsruhe and Durlach. 

SO ditto ditto to Koenigsfeld. 

33 ditto ditto toLorrach. 
500 French testaments to France^ 



63 

And, lastly, I encouraged them to undertake 
the printing of an edition of the German Bible^ 
on standing types, in a smaller size than their 
large octavo edition. The excellence of the latter 
is universally acknowledged as a family Bible; 
but for children in schools, and young people 
in general, it is not sufficiently portable; and 
a smaller edition was called for from many 
quarters, I presented them with an extra do» 
nation of 200/. for this specifick purpose; and 
they unanimously resolved to take the beautiful 
Imhof edition for their model, and to print 
10,000 copies of it. 

The business of the meeting having been thus 
disposed of, the President rose, addressed me 
in the name of the Committee; expressed their 
high gratification in this interview, which had 
drawn the bond of union before subsisting be- 
tween the two Societies, still closer; and re- 
quested me to convey the warmest thanks of 
their body to the Committee, and to all th© 



64 

members of the British and Foreign Bible So™ 
ciety; and to assure them, that the impression 
©f the kindness and generosity of their British 
fellow-christians would never be effaced from 
their memories and their heartsj that the good 
already produced by the exertions of the Bri- 
tish and Foreigh Bible Society was incalculable, 
and that the blessing of God would most as- 
suredly rest on the institution, and the nation 
which had given rise to it. I wish, my dear 
friends, you could have been eye and ear wit- 
nesses of this affecting interview J lam confi- 
dent your hearts would have melted, and your 
eyes overflowed with tears of joy and gratitude. 
I'he whole was a sight, at which the angels of 
God rejoice. I have only to add, that the in- 
terest excited by the united efforts of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society, and its German 
associate, is not confined to Basle, but extends 
more or less over the whole of Protestant Swit- 
zerland. Among many of the pious people in 
St. Gall, Winter^hur, Aarau, Bern, Zurich^ 



65 

Chur, and other towns, the same spirit prevails^ 
and every year adds new subscribers to the lists 
of the Basle Society, which is indeed a daugh- 
ter worthy of her parent. Some, even of the 
Roman Catholic Cantons, are benefitted by its 
example, and its exertions. 

You may perhaps suspect that the partiality 
which I feel for Basle, may have betrayed me 
into too great a warmth, and induced me to 
give too strong a colouring to my narrative; 
but let the facts and documents speak, and then 
I will leave you to judge whether I have been 
guilty of exaggeration. 



J % 



66 
LETTER IX. 

Helsingburg, Nov. 17,'! 812, 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

I left Basle not without tears of regret: 
scarcely had I renewed the feelings of Chris- 
tian love and attachment which this scene, once 
so familiar to me, was calculated to revive, 
when the words sounded in my ears, " Depart, 
" this is not thy resting-place; take up thy pil- 
" grim's staff, and proceed on the mission of 

*' thy Lord and His Church." I rode along the 
Rhine, which, with its verdant banks, vine- 
yards, and a distant view of the mountains of 
Lorrain, presents a variety of charming pro- 
spects. I passed the night in tlie house of a 
worthy Clergyman, whom I had formerly as- 
sisted in his ministerial duties, and in whose 
church I had preached, when the windowrs 
m 



67 

rere shaking from the firing of the cannon: 
He takes a lively interest in the work of God 
in Great Britain, and is an active promoter o^ 
the cause of the Bible. In conjunction with 
another neighbouring Clergyman, he had or- 
dered a number of the Basle Bibles for the 
benefit of their poor parishioners. On the 4th 
of September, several christian friends from 
Strasburg met me at Kehl, with Hofrath, Coun- 
sellor Jung, (commonly called Stilling) up- 
wards of 70 years old, who is one of the most 
celebrated writers in Germany, a decided 
friend to the Bible, and a determined opposer 
of modern philosophy and infidelity. 

I may justly call him a chiic. uf Providence; 
he having, from his earliest infancy to the pre- 
sent time, experienced such a series of re- 
markable events, that many have been strength- 
ened and encoui;aged to trust in God by the 
perusal of his interesting history. From a 
tailor's boy, he is become one of the greatest 



6B 

oculists of our day, and one of the finest wri- 
ters of our age. His " Heimweh'* will be as 
much celebrated in Germany, as a work o£ 
genius and knowledge of the human heart, as 
the Pilgrim's Progress is in England. Both 
he and the Rev. Mr. Oberlin, an aged clergy* 
man in Alsace, feel warmly interested in the 
prosperity of the British and Foreign Bible So- 
ciety, which Mr. Jung publickly recommends 
in his periodical works. I was also happy to 
hear, that a number of friends of the Bible in 
Strasburg have established a Bible Committee 
in that city, for the distribution of the German 
and French scriptures in Alsace and Lorrain* 

Passing through Garlsruhe and Durlach, I 
was introduced to several gentlemen in official 
situations, who affirmed, that a Bible Commit- 
tee would be of essential service in the do- 
minions of the Grand Duke of Baden; that 
many, both among the Protestant and Catholic 
inhabitants, might be supplied with the Scrip-* 



69 

tares, who gi*eatly stood in need of them^ and 
that they should consider it a privilege to be« 
come its members. I entreated them not to 
delay forming such a Committee; promising to 
aid them by a donation of several hundred Bi« 
bles and Testaments^ which they have now re- 
ceived. They, on the other hand, engaged to 
increase the sum arising from the sale of those 
Bibles, by donations and subscriptions of their 
own, and to attempt something permanent for 
the spiritual benefit of their poor. 



LETTER X. 

Helsingburg, Nov. 17, 1512, ^ 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

After my return from Switzerland 
to Stuttgard, I paid a visit to the Royal Li- 
Iirary in that city, justly celebrated for its very 



l^gc collection of bibles in almost every Ian* 
guage. It contains upwards of 6000 volumesj 
among them arc several works which art 
scarcely to be met with elsewhere. I present'- 
<ed Professor Lebret, one of the librarians, 
with some of the editions of the Society; who 
pot only himself received them in the most po* 
lite and grateful manner, but afterwards con- 
veyed to me the thanks of that state depart- 
ment, to which the superintendence of th^ 
Royal Library is committed. While engaged 
in making the necessary arrangements with the 
Stuttgard Bible Committee, the time I was al- 
lowed to spend in my paternal house expired. 
The hour of separation approached, in which 
I was to tear myself from the embraces of pa- 
rents and friends, whom, in all human proba- 
bility, I was to see no more on this side the 
grave. But being fully persuaded that God, 
in his wise and gracious providence, had called 
me to labour in England, I strengthened myself 
in Him, the rock of my salvation. My whole 



8^1, 

fajtnily assembled once more to prayers; we 
parted with thanksgivings and praises~with 
weeping and supplication. It was on the 21st 
of September, early in the morning, that I 
left Stuttgard. The weather was beautiful; 
|he moon was setting on one side, and the sun 
rising on the other. I had also a most agree- 
able travelling companion, who did every thing 
in his power to cheer my mind and to alleviate 
my sorrow* On the road I met several friends 
bidding me their last farewell, and loading me 
with their benedictions. In the afternoon, when 
approaching the Witrtemberg frontier, I rose up 
in the chaise, and cast a longing look on regions 
endeared to me by so many ties of nature and 
Christian affection, pouring forth prayers and 
blessings for all whom I left behind. After safely 
passing through dangerous forests, infested by si 
band of robbers who had but lately committed 
some most atrocious murders, I stopped at 
Hessen-Darmstadt. Here I was met by a dear 
sister, married at Oppenheim, a town on the 



left bank of the Rhine, whom I had not seen for 
eleven years. She was accompanied by a wor- 
thy Clergyman, who pays a most conscientious 
attention to the sacred duties of his office; and 
whom I presented with a small sum of money, 
for the benefit of such of his poor parishioners 
as were still destitute of the Bible. He pro- 
mised to turn his attention to this particular 
object; and to enter into corespondence with 
the Basle and Strasburg Bible Committees, in 
orcler to see, whether something of a more 
general nature might not be done, for the Ger- 
man congregations on the left side of the 
Rhine; some of which, with regard to their 
spiritual concerns, are in a truly deplorable 
state. 

Leaving my sister to the protection of God, 
I proceeded the next morning to Frankfurt, a 
city not less celebrated for its mercantile great- 
ness, than for its having long been the place 
where the German Emperours were crowned. 



7^ 
It was fair-time; all was bustle and activity, I 
was received by a Christian family with the ut- 
most kindness, and paid my respects to several 
Clergymen, especially to the venerable Pastor 
Claus, who, though 84 years of age, and to- 
tally blind, still zealously engages in the dis- 
charge of his ministerial duties, preaching the 
word of life, and full of cheerful serenity. He 
was delighted with my accounts from England; 
as were the Rev. Mr. Passavant, minister of 
the German reformed church, and several 
christian merchants, whom I met in the even- 
ing. On inquiry, I was informed that almost all 
the christian inhabitants of Frankfurt (about 
7000 Jews reside there also,) were supplied 
with the Scriptures; but, in the neighbouring 
districts and villages, many of the poor people 
were without them: in consequence of which, 
I presented my Frankfurt friends with 50/. for 
supplying such as were most needy and deserv- 
ing. I heard to my great satisfaction, that a 

Prince of Hessen-Homburg had lately paid 
e 



*4 

particular attention to the spiritual wants of his 
subjects, and began to distribute the oracles of 
truth to many of his poor people. Happy au- 
spices, when Princes become nursing fathers to 
the church of Christ! May the example of 
this Prince be followed by many others. 

On the 24<th of September 1 continued my 
journey, passing through a number of small 
Catholick towns and villages, which formerly 
belonged to the Bishopricks of Mainz and 
Fulda, but which are now attached to the do- 
minions of the Prince Primate. I was truly 
grieved at the want of cleanliness, the squalid 
poverty and shameful beggary, prevailing 
among too many of their inhabitants; and what 
is still more deplorable, their outward appear- 
ance seems but a faint image of their moral and 
spiritual condition. Soon after I came to Pro" 
testant Saxony. What a striking contrast! 
There you find so much more light, know- 
k<|ge, neatness, comfort j prosperity. Observe 



75 

the habitations of the people, mark their dress, 
watch their behaviour, attend to the whole of 
their state and conduct; and you will find the 
most manifest superiority. No where was it 
more striking than when I came to Neudie- 
tendorf, and compared this Moravian settle- 
ment, the seat of neatness, industry, and piety> 
with some of the villages through which I had 
passed before. I am truly happy to hear, that 
Leander VanEess, a learned and pious Roman 
Catholick Clergyman, has lately been appointed 
Professor of Divinity at the University of Mar- 
burg; as I trust he will direct his attention to 
Mainz and Fulda, and send thousands of his 
German Testaments to those places^ which are 
now involved in all the mists and errours of 
Popish ignorance and superstition. 



TO 



liETTER XL 

Helsingburg, Nov. If, Uli. 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

On my way to Leipsick, the poatillioa 
pointed out to me the village of Auerstadt, 
memorable on account of the battle fought 
there between the Prussians and French, which 
ended in the almost total destruction of the 
Prussian power. A host of gloomy reflections 
crowded on my mind, which were not lessened 
by the sight of so many of my poor countrymen, 
whom I saw marched off to Russia, and could 
view it in no other light than as sheep carried to 
the slaughter. Not far from the town of Lut- 
zen a plain stone is erected to the memory of 
the immortal Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, 
who nobly fell fighting for the cause of reli- 
gious truth and liberty. Leipsick is celebrated 



for Its annual fairs, its extensive trade, particu« 
larly in books, the reputation of its University, 
and the refined manners of its inhabitants. 

On my way to this town I met a Polish Jew^, 
in an inn where I stopped to change horses. It 
was midnight, and he told me he had travelled 
ten successive days and nights, in order to 
reach Leipsick by the commencement of the 
fain " Well," said I to myself, ^^ if this man 
** can do and endure so much for the sake of 
** earthly gain, ought I to mind any little incon- 
** venience or difficulty in pursuing far more 
" important and beneficial objccts?'^ 

A Clergyman, much respected in Leipsick^ 
signified in strong terms his admiration of the 
labours of the British and Foreign Bible So- 
ciety, of which he had been informed by the 
honourable mention made of it in some literary 
publications; and expressed his conviction, that 
both among children and servants, but chiefly 

G 2 



78 
among the latter, hundreds, and perhaps thou- 
sands, were to be found without a bible, 
many of whom would receive it with the most 
unfeigned joy and gratitude. In consequence 
of this representation, I requested the Rev. 
Dr. Knapp to send 300 bibles and 200 testa- 
ments to this worthy Pastor, who seems much 
disposed, with some other gentlemen, to aid 
the benevolent exertions of the Society. 

^rom Leipsick I went to Dresden. I had 
much wished to become personally acquainted 
with the celebrated Reinhardt, first Chaplain 
to the Court of Saxony, who was considered 
one of the greatest divines and pulpit oratours 
of his time; and had sustained many a noble 
conflict with the legions of infidelity, triumph-^ 
antly vindicating the sacred cause of divine 
Truth and christian Revelation. But, alas! I 
was disappointed— ^Reinhardt is no more in the 
land of the living. He died on the 6th of 



79 

September, lamented by thousands, not only in 
Saxony but in all parts of Germany. 

Instead of Reinhardt, I visited the Rev. Mr. 
Doering, who is likewise one of the Chaplains 
to the Court, and a man firmly adhering to the 
Truth as it is in Jesus. He takes a lively inte- 
rest in the cause of the Bible Society; strongly 
represented to me the want of the Scriptures 
among numbers of the poor in Dresden, and 
most heartily concurred with my wish, that 
something might be done for theii- relief in 
this respect I placed 500 Canstein Bibles 
and Testaments at his disposal, and urged his 
uniting with some other respectable characters, 
for the purpose of establishing a regular and 
permanent Bible Committee^ At his request 
I visited Count de Hohenthal, one of the mi- 
nisters of State, and chief, or president, of 
the ecclesiastical department; who fully con- 
firmed the above statement* His late exceU 
lent father, he told me, had entertained the 



highest veneratian for the Holy Scriptures, 
and printed, at his own private expense, three 
editions for the benefit of the poor. When a 
boy, his father had sent him with his tutor 
into the houses of the poor, to inquire after 
both their bodily and their spiritual wants* 
At that time, (1760,) they had met almost 
in every house with three books, a Bible, 
a hymn-book, and Arndt's True Christianity. 
About twenty years after, being himself ap- 
pointed to an office connected with the care of 
the poor, he had again personally visited their 
abodes, but found them greatly altered for the 
worse; discovering scarcely any where a Bible 
or Testament. This he could not but ascribe 
to a growing indifference to religion, which he 
considered most dangerous in its consequences 
to the security and v/elfare of the state. He 
had already distributed several hundred copies 
of the Scriptures among the poor on his own 
estates, and would gladly support a judicious 
plan for a more general dispersion of that Sa- 



81 

ered book among the lower classes of the 
people* I left him with humble gratitude to 
God, that Saxony wa3 still favoured with men 
of such sentiments, and imploring His bles- 
sing on my feeble endeavours. 

O, may His word have free course, and be 
glorified! 



LETTER XII. 



Helsingburg, Nov. 18, 1812, 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

My intention was to have gone from 
Dresden to Berlin by way of Herrnhut. The 
latter place I visited; but was prevented from 
going to the former, by circumstances which it 
was out of my power to control. 



82 

Some of the roads in Upper Lusatia are m 
a dreadful condition: in the winter Season 
they are scarcely passable^ and they are gene- 
rally so rough, that the traveller will not easily 
forget the inconveniences which he has suffered 
in journeying along them. Herrnhut lies be- 
tween the two towns of Lobau and Zittau. 
About 90 years ago the place where it now 
staiads was a natural and moral desert. But 
what a change has taken place! Where no- 
thing but swamps and morasses were to be seen, 
a town has sprung up, which is the picture of 
neatness, the seat of piety and industry, the 
centre of an active religious people called 
the Moravians, or the United Brethren, who 
have proved an ornament to the christia^ 
Church, and a blessing to the world. 

When I consider the many important meet- 
ings of excellent people, from various parts of 
the world, held in this place, (among which, 
the Ministers' Conference an annu?il assembly 



8S 

0fabout7Oor 80 Protestant Clei-gymen, for 
promoting each others usefulness in the minis- 
try, deserves particular notice); when I recol« 
lect the many useful missionaries going forth 
from this spot almost in every direction, and 
behold the thousands of benighted Heathens 
converted by the ministry of these feeble but 
sincere sevants of Christ; I am reminded of 
the grain of mustard-seed grown up to a fruit- 
ful tree, in whose branches, the birds of the 
air find shelter and repose; and feel con« 
strained at the same time to adopt the lan- 
guage of our blessed Lord: " I thank Thee? 
" Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
" Thou hast hid these things from the wise and 
" prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes*'^ 
I visited the Unity's Elders* Conference,which 
is the supreme directory of all the Moravian 
settlements and societies among christians and 
Heathens; and was truly gratified to find mea 
of primitive simplicity, faith, and love. They 
all assembled to hear me relate the work of 



8lf 

God in Great Britain, more especially the 
proceedings of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society. They felt most grateful for the kind 
attention of the Society to the spiritual wants 
of their christain Esquimaux in Labrador, 
their converted Negroes in the West Indies, 
their enlightened Hottentots in Africa, and the 
Calmuck tribes under their instruction. They 
cheerfully promised to encourage their mis- 
sionaries, diligently to persevere in the work of 
translating the Scriptures, into the various lan- 
guages of the nations among whom they arc 
labouring. They mentioned, the great good 
which was now doing among the poor people 
in Esthonia and Livonia; represented their 
great want of the Scriptures, and their very 
earnest desire to obtain them; expressed high 
satisfaction at the grants the Society had made 
for printing the Lettish and Esthonian Testa- 
ments; and declared, they would gladly pro- 
mote this excellent design by all means in their 
power. They lamented the breaking out of 



the war in these quarters, which would prove 
a great obstacle to the workj but still Aey con- 
fidently hoped, that with the blessing of God 
all difficulties would be overcome. 

I was also informed that, in many places of 
Upper Lusatia, the Scriptures were greatly 
needed among the poor. Several worthy pa- 
rish ministers made applications for a supply* 
Among the number, the Rev. Mr. Heinrich, a 
most active and useful Clergyman, thus ex- 
pressed himself in a letter, dated Reibersdorf, 
Sep. 1, 1812. 

•' With us, and around us, (in Lusatia,) many 
** hands would gladly be stretched out to receive 
" a Bible. If the friends of the Bible would 
'^ turn their attention to my parish, and to other 
** parishes still more destitute, and favour us 
" with a number of bibles for distribution, the 
*' heart of an aged Pastor of 73 would be filled 
'' with joy. I subscribed for 113 copies of the 



96 ^ 

^^ Basle Bible; but the expense of camage> 
*' (amounting to upwards of 10/.) and the bind- 
" mg^ made the Bibles dearer than the poor 
** people could pay fon'* 

I had also a conversation with a Moravian 
minister, whose office is to visit the dispersed 
children of God in Poland, particularly those 
belonging to the German colonies in that coun- 
try. "The latter," said he, "suffer greatly: 
" they want both ministers and Bibles; among 
" the Polish Jews," he added, " there Is a great 
" stir." Induced by these representations, I 
deposited 200/. with the Unity's Elders' Con- 
ference, to be employed according to their dis- 
cretion, for the dispersion of the Holy Scrip- 
tures in Lusatia, and other provinces, through 
the instrumentality of the many pious minis- 
ters with whom they stand connected. 

Previous to my leaving Herrnhut, I paid a 
visit to the Hutberg, a hill from which there is 



ia most extensive and delightful prospect. A 
number of populous villages, with well-cultiva- 
ted fields and gardens, lie before and around it<^ 
from which hills and small woods gently rise; 
and at the extremity of the horizon the eye is 
charmed with the distant view of the Saxon, 
Bohemian, and Silesian mountainst the whole 
forms a sublime spectacle. 

On the Hutberg is the burial-ground of the 
Herrnhut Congregation, intersected by several 
rows of trees^ and kept in very nice order. Some 
of the wisest and best men sleep there until the 
morning of the resurrection; I wandered about 
among the dead, and felt inexpressibly serene 
and happy. My spirit joined the spirits of just 
men made perfect, and the words of Christ 
seemed to sound in my ears; " Be thou faith- 
" ful unto death, and I will give thee a crowa 
"oflife*'^ 



S8 

LETTERXIIL 

Helsingburg, Nov. IS, 1812. 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

After a short stay at Hermhut, I re- 
turned to Leipsick; where I parted with a dear 
brother, who is a merchant in that city; the last 
of my family whom I had an oportunity of 
seeing during my continental tour. I then 
proceeded to Halle, The very sight of this 
town excites in the breast of the Christian, 
feelings of joy, admiration, and gratitude. 
There the immortal Franke preached and lived; 
there many excellent Ministers of Christ have 
been educated; there the Hallish Orphan- 
house, the Canstein Bible Institution, the East 
India Missions, were established. I had long 
wished to see Dr. Knapp, professor of divini- 
ty at the University of Halle, one of the direc- 
tors of the Orphan-house: he is a son worthy of 



an excellent fatherland justly considered one of 
the greatest Divines of our age. With the ut- 
most kindness he conducted me to the Orphan- 
house. Without visiting this sublime monument 
of Franke's faith and charity, it is not possible 
to form any adequate conception of the great- 
ness and firmness of that good man; who with 
only seven florins commenced a building, or 
rather a series of buildings, which now occupies 
a large proportion of the town; contains many of 
Its best houses; has opened its friendly gates for 
the destitute and forlorn; supported thousands 
of orphans, and afforded employment and in- 
struction to tens of thousands. No wonder that 
Frederick the Great of Prussia, when viewing 
it, exclaimed with enthusiasm: " Truly Frankc 
" was a great man!^' and that the Emperour 
Napoleon was directed to show mercy to its 
helpless inhabitants: for the protection and bles- 
sing of God rest upon it, and in the midst of the 

ruin of palaces and cottages it is still preserved. 
H 2 



I felt a peculiar interest in visitiog the depo- 
sitory of the Canstein Bible Institution, which 
in the course of a century has printed nearly 
three millions of German Bibles and Testa- 
ments. Its benevolent design is, by selling the 
Scriptures at a low rate, to enable the poor to 
purchase them. And indeed from this cheap 
depository of the oracles of truth, many thou- 
sands of my poor countrymen, not only in Ger- 
many, but also in Prussia, Poland, Switzerland, 
the Russian Empire, and even in America, have 
been most liberally supplied. But while I bear 
this willing testimony to the excellence and 
usefulness of this institution, let it be recollec- 
ted, that (not to mention the constant loss of 
copies by their very use and a variety of acci- 
dents,) upwards of thirty millions of people 
speak the German language^ and that the Can- 
stein Bibles, cheap as they are in Halle, become 
proportionally dear when sent to great dis- 
tances; that they cannot be introduced into 



tl 

several states and provinces without paying very 
high duties^ and that the ruinous effects of a 
long-protracted war are such,as to disable many 
of the poor from paying any thing at all. Dr. 
Knapp, who is intimately acquainted with all 
the concerns of this Institution, stated, that even 
in Halle itself and its immediate vicinity, many 
of the poor would be found destitute of the 
Scriptures J and expressed a wish, that some be- 
nevolent persons would unite to purchase a 
number of Canstein Bibles for gratuitous dis* 
tribution; offering himself, with some friends^ 
to form a Bible Committee, that it might be 
done in the most judicious and effectual manner. 
In addition to this, let it be observed, that in the 
course of this summer, (1812,) the northern 
union was formed in Saxony, the members of 
which, having publickly avowed the want of the 
Scriptures in several parts of Saxony, have pled- 
ged themselves to remedy this evil as far as lies 
in their power; but their means are small. I 
therefore left Dr. Knapp and his friends the 



92 

sum of 50/. to enable them immediately to com- 
mence the distribution which he himself had 
desired; and also purchased several thousand 
Canstein Bibles and Testaments, for dispersion 
in different parts of Saxony, Brandenburg, and 
Hanover. 

May God in his infinite mercy grant, that the 
seed, thus sown in a variety of directions, may 
be watered with the dew from heaven; spring 
up, and bring forth fruit unto everlasting life. 



LETTER XIV- 

Helsingburg, Nov. 18, 1812, 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

I left Halle on the 8th of October on 
my return to Altona; the road led me through 
Wolfenbuttel and Brunswick. It is easy to 
perceive that these towns were formerly the re- 
sidence of sovereign Princes; their palaces are 



still to be seen — ^but how changed the aspect of 
things! The old Duke of Brunswick killed in 
battle, his son driven from his countrj^, their 
splendid apartments standing almost empty, 
their dominions given to another! What lessons 
for the great of this worldl I^any an ancient 
princely house has stood the shock of ages; it 
might trace its possessors through centuries 
past; but Ichabod!-— where is its former glory? 
It is vanished: it is departed. The yoke of op- 
pression is severely felt; strangers consume the 
fiat of the land. O my native country! how 
fallen art thou from thy former greatness and 
prosperity! Humble thyself under the mighty 
hand of God, acknowledge thy transgressions, 
return to thy Maker, take refuge in thy blessed 
Redeemer, embrace the Friend of thy youth 
whom thou hast forsaken, kiss the rod of His 
dicipline, implore His forgiveness, and seek 
His mercy*. 

•Since the above was written, an unexpected and mast 
important change has taken place. Germany is restored t<& 



94* 

Between Brunswick and Hamburg lies the 
Luneburg Heath. No wonder travellers feel 
such a dislike to it; for indeed it is a dreary de- 
sert, like the land of the shadow of death: for 
miles, scarcely a living creature is to be seen. 
Occasionally a green bush or small tree makes 
its appearance; no regular road leads through 
it; a multitude of tracks and paths appear; the 
poor horses have often to drag through a thick 
heavy sand, and if the postillions were not well 
acquainted with their way the traveller would 
soon be lost. After having wandered about in 
this wilderness, a cottage, a few dispersed 
houses, or a flock ©f little black sheep, quite 
gladden the heart: the least progress towards 
cultivation in this desert seemed delightful to 
me; and I thanked God, when at last I had 
safely got out of it. 



its former independence. The author would not deserve the 
aame of a German, did he not most sincerely rejoice in this 
«vent with millions of his countrymen. 



I will say nothing of Hamburg; its formt r 
and present state form a powerful contrast. I 
cannot express my gratitude to God, when^ 

Per varies casus, per tot discrimina rerumj> 

I found myself In Altona, safely lodged in the 
house of Messrs, Van der Smissen, and most 
cordially welcomed by all the members of this 
excellent family. They know no party; but 
show christian love, kindness, and hospitality, 
to every servant of God, to good men of all na- 
tions and denominations. Mav God pour down 
upon them His richest blessings, and may His 
heavenly benediction rest upon them all! They 
assisted me with their counsel, their credit, their 
mercantile knowledge and experience; and their 
warmest recommendations, to the many friends 
and connexions whom they have in almost ev- 
ery part of the continents They had opened a 
correspondence with christian friends in Osna- 
bruck, Lubeck, Bremen, Mecklenburg, and 



96 

Swedish Pomerania, advising them to form 
small Bible Committees; some of which, after 
a due inspection of the correspondence, and 
mature deliberation, I felt it to be my duty and 
happiness, to assist with a donation in the So- 
ciety's name, of 50l. In the house of this kind 
family, I had also the pleasure to meet a num- 
ber of respectable gentlemen, belonging to va- 
rious Christian denominations; and consulted 
with them, on the best means of promoting the 
cause of the Bible in Altona and its vicinity* I 
found a general disposition to aid it: one of the 
company, who is collector of the taxes, assured 
the rest, " that in his official capacity, he had 
" ample opportunity to witness the great dis- 
*' tress of the people, occasioned by the l6ng- 
** continuing interruption of commerce. Many 
<* families, which a few years ago had been in 
** a flourishing condition, were now reduced to 
" poverty and want, and obliged to part with 
*' one article of clothing or furniture after the 
other." 



9r 

The same is the case in Hamburgh; it was 
therefore considered the more desirable to fur- 
nish these people with that blessed book,which 
has proved a balm of consolation to millions of 
the afflicted; and which still proves to be the 
power and wisdom of God unto the salvation of 
immortal souls. 

To enable our Altona friends to begin their 
benevolent work without delay, I left them SOU 
I certainly felt strongly inclined to do more, 
both in this case and in several former instan- 
ces| but, deeply convinced as I was of the ge- 
nerous and enlarged views of the British and 
Foreign Bible Society, I wished not too far t® 
exceed the limits set me by the wisdom of the 
Committee, under whose instructions I acted. 



LETTER XT. 

Helsingburg, Nov. 18, 1812. 
MY DEAR FRIENDS, 

After taking an affectionate leave of 
my Altona friends, I entered on my journey to 
Copenhagen. My young friend, James .Van der 
Smissen, who had spent seven years in Eng- 
land, and been a member of our Bible Com- 
mittee, determined to accompany me to Chris- 
tiansfeld. The first day's journey brought me 
to Hanerau, alarge estate of 14 villages, belong- 
ing to Mr. Manhardt; who is now a Danish 
knight, and fully deserves the Order of merit 
with which his King has distinguished him j for 
the improvements he has produced on his estate, 
in a civil and religious point of view, are very 
great indeed. He is a father to his t^natts, pro- 
motes industrvi* establishes manufactories, in- 



99 

stmcts the children himself; and is assisted ia 
his exertions by a worthy Pastor, who is as de- 
sirous as himself, that every peasant and child 
in their villages should have a Bible of his own, 
and be able to read it. As these excellent men 
had done much themselves, I felt the greater 
freedom in ministering to their aid, as an almo- 
ner of the Society's bounty. Collecting, there- 
fore, a number of the children, I addressed 
them, and presented each with a Hallish Bible. 
To see them smiling with pleasure, kissing my 
hands, and otherwise expressing their joy and 
gratitude in their unaffected childlike manner, 
was a feast to my mind; and the whole of the 
scene, at which Mr. Manhardt and family were 
present, was so impressive and affecting, that 
I shall long retain the remembrance of it. 

A few miles from Hanerau lies the neat town 
of Meldorf, where a small society of pious 
people are very active and useful. They invited 
me to visit them; but, being prevented b}^ ^ 



100 

severe cold, I wrote them a long letter j in 
which I gave a detailed account of our Society, 
and directed their attention to the state of their 
town and vicinity. In reply, they observed, that 
they were happy to say, that a benevolent in- 
stitution existed in their town, from which the 
children of the poor were supplied both with 
the Scriptures and other religious books. 

From Hanerau we continued our journey to 
Emkendorf, the seat of Count Reventlow, a 
nobleman of fine taste and highly accomplished 
manners. He had been Danish Ambassador 
at several Courts, among which was that of St. 
James. His lady is distinguished by her talents, 
her unfeigned piety, her active benevolence, and 
her christian fortitude under a complication of 
disorders, which few would be able to endure. 
She has been ill for twenty years; her sufferings 
are very great; scarcely ever can she leave her 
bed, but her mind is unconquered by illness; 
het* zeal in the cause of God continues most 



101 

lively; and her exertions to promote the inte- 
rests of his kingdom are indefatigable. Having 
read in several periodical publications, of the 
labours of the British and Foreign Bible So- 
ciety and other benevolent institutions in £ng- 
land, she wished to hear more, and invited me 
to spend a few days with her. I accepted the 
invitafion, and bless God that I did. I found 
in her a character seldom to be met with; she 
is a mother to her tenants, furnishes them with 
Bibles, pays particular attention to th^ schools, 
provides for orphans, supports the aged, re- 
lieves the widow, and is ready to every good 
word and work. When I came to Emkendorf, 
the Landgrave of Hessen, Stadtholder of the 
Dutchies of Holstein and Sleswick, and father 
to the present Queen of Denmark, happened to 
be there on a visit. He treated me with the ut- 
most kindness, requested me to give him an ac- 
count of the Bible Society, approved highly of 
its exertions, and expressed his best wishes for 
its continued prosperity. I also met in Emken* 

I 2 



102 

dorf, the widow of the late excellent and truly 
pious Count Bernstorf, who was many years 
prime ministerof Denmark; also the Count and 
Countess of Stolberg; besides other ladies and 
gentlemen, who all expressed their high appro- 
bation of the plan and proceedings of our Soci- 
ety, and some of whom promised to send their 
contributions to our Altona friends. 

In the further progress of my journey, I vi- 
sited several active clergymen, merchants, and 
other pious people, in Rendsburg, Sleswick, 
Flensburg, and Hadersleben; with whom I had 
many interesting conversations. The result of 
my observations and inquiries is, that, notwith- 
standing the progress which infidelity has made, 
there are still many enlightened and benevolent 
characters in the Dutchies of Holstein and 
Sleswick. Could their intellectual, moral, and 
spiritual strength be collected into one focus ^ 
extensive and lasting good might be done* ■ 



lOS 

Lord God Almighty! do thou unite the 
minds, the hearts, the talents, the exertions, of 
Thy people; that with one accord they may glo- 
rify Thy name, promote Thy cause, spread Thy 
word, advance I'hy kingdom, and successfully 
exert themselves for the salvation of souls. 



LETTER XVL 

Gothenburg, Nov. 26, 1812. 

?^IY DEAR FRIENDS, 

Our journey from Emkendorf to Chris- 
tiansfeld was attended with some trouble and 
difficultys the rain had fallen in torrents; the 
roads were in a shocking state; we were more 
than once in danger of being overturned; but 
the merciful hand of God preserved us; and 
we soon forgot our fatigues and anxieties in the 
friendly receptioii we met at Christiausfeld, 



104 

where wc rested a few days. This Moravian 
settlement is a point of rendezvous for pious 
ministers and people of all descriptions. There 
the Fuhnen Society^ holds its annual meetings; 
even the King and the Royal Family have se- 
veral times honoured it with a visit. Some of 
the aged experienced ministers make an annual 
circuit all over the country; visiting the disper- 
sed people of God, and speaking a word in sea- 
son to persons of every condition. They enter 
the palace, and the cottage; and have frequent 
opportunities of observing the want of the 
Scriptures. To these good men I intrusted the 
sum of 25L for the purpose of distributing the 
Danish and German Scriptures in Jutland and 
Holstein; being fully persuaded, they would 
make a prudent and conscientious use of this 
talent; give away where needful; sell cheaply 
where they could sell; and employ the returns of 
sale in the purchase and dispersion ^f other 
copies, 

* A Danish Society for distributing bibles and religious books^ 



105 

Leaving Christiansfeld, I visited some Danish 
Clergymen in Jutland, whose villages lie near 
the road; crossed the Little Belt; conversed for 
an hour with the Rev. Mr. Balslev, treasurer of 
the Fuhnen Societ}\ and spent an evening with 
Probst (Dean) Boesen; from whom I received 
much information respecting the labours, diffi- 
culties, and persevering exertions of this truly 
respectable body of men. I encouraged them to 
a still more extensive circulation of the holy 
Scriptures. The next day, I reached Nieburg, 
a small but neat town and fortress on the coast 
of Fuhnen; hoping that I should be able imme- 
diately to cross the Great Belt; but it pleased 
God to exercise my mind with another lesson of 
faith and patience. I was in haste to proceed? 
but was obliged to wait three days, the wind 
being contrary, and English cruisers in the Belt. 
Unhappy war, when wilt thou cease to divide, 
to vex, to destroy nations, which, by peaceful 
intercourse and mutual exchange of their com- 
modities and kindnesses, might prove the great- 



106 

est blessing to each other! At last, the hour of 
release came; the packet sailed, and conveyed us 
in a few hours to the other side. I took a post- 
chaise with a fellow-passenger, travelled all 
night, and was the next morning in Copenhagen* 
Here another delay occurred. Owing to the dis- 
covery of some spies, new arrangements had 
been made in Sweden since I had left it; no 
traveller being now allowed to go from Helsing- 
burg to Gothenburg without a passport from 
Stockholm. 

I applied to the Swedish ambassador at 
Copenhagen, who received me with the utmost 
kindness, and procured me the passport within 
the shortest time possible; yet it detained me 
ten days. In this interval I renewed the ac- 
quaintances I had made in this city; and formed 
tome new ones which were very valuable. 
Among the rest I was introduced to Count 
Schimmelman, (Minister of Finance to his 
Danish Majesty,) and his lady; to the Countess 



of Munster, governess to the Crown Princess,^ 
and to several other highly distinguished cha^ 
ractcrs. I gave them an account of the Bible 
Society; recommended Mr. Henderson to their 
kind attention and patronage; and respectfully 
invited them, both personally and by letters, 
actively to promote the dissemination of the 
Holy Scriptures among the poor in the Danish 
dominions, I also communicated to the Bish- 
op of Zealand, the resolution of our Society to 
assist a Danish Bible Society with the sum of 
500/. in case such an institution should actually 
be formed. The more I saw and heard of the 
Bishop, the greater respect and affection I felt 
for him, both on account of his learning, and 
his ardent desire to promote every good and 
truly christian undertaking, 

I cannot thank God sufficiently, for all the 
kindness and attention which I met with in the 
Danish dominions. A Danish passport con- 
veyed me to and from Germany; and every fa-» 



cility,both on the part of the government and o£ 
individuals, was afforded me to enable me to 
pursue my journey. A similar kind treatment I 
experienced in Sweden. I feel under particu- 
lar obligations to the commander of Helsing- 
burg (who had the politeness personally to de- 
liver to me the passport, the moment it arrived 
from Stockholm,) and to the Governour of 
Gothenburg, who facilitated my journey in ev- 
ery way. On my return to the latter city, I met 
also with a very kind reception from the Bish- 
op; who freely and liberally conversed with me, 
on the subject of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society ; to which his attention had been directed 
byaletter from my respected friend the Rev.Dr, 
Brunmark, I had also a very pleasing interview 
with one of the Swedish Clergymen, whom I 
had authorized to order a number of Bibles 
from the Stockholm Society. He met me with 
a most cheerful countenance. **Sir," said he, 
" I have now received those Bibles for my poor 
*^ people, and I shall immediately distribute 



109 
** them. May God abundantly bless our British 
^^ friends and benefactors! Their prosperity is 
*^ our prosperity, and their happiness is our 
** happiness.'* 



LETTER XVII. 



London, Dec. 9, 1812. 

Thank God, here I am, restored to my 
family, congregation, and friends. Our voyage 
from Gothenburg to Harwich was rather te. 
dious, it lasted nine days? the wind was often 
contrary and the sea boisterous; at other times 
almost a perfect calm prevailed, and we scarcely 
perceived the motion of the vessel. The appear- 
ance of every strange sail occasioned us some 
uneasiness, till it was ascertained to be a friend. 
Thus our patience was exercised, and our faith 
put to the trial; but at last a favourable breeze 

K 



no 

sprung up, and on Sunday morning, the 6th of 
December, we got sight of the British shores^ 
I went early on deck; the sun rose majcstick: 
my inmost soul bowed down before God,whilst 
looking back on all the way which His kind pro- 
vidence had led me; reflecting on the merciful 
preservations I had experienced, and recollec- 
ting the numberless pleasures I had enjoyed in 
the circle of an affectionate family, and the vari- 
ous interviews and interesting conversations 
with so many excellent and benevolent charac- 
ters* I could not sufficiently bless His sacred 
name for having privileged me to minister the 
bread of life to so many hungry souls, to put 
that blessed book, the Bible, into the hands of 
thousands of the poor in various countries and 
languages, to encourage the Bible Societies and 
Bible Committees already established, to add 
others to their number, and to return laden with 
the benedictions of the Gospel of peace. Nor 
was I less sensible of His goodness in making 
me the bearer of so many good wishes and bles- 



Ill 

sings in behalf of those British friends and ben- 
efactors, who had employed me in this service of 
Christian charity. As I approached the shore, 
the ringing of the bells announced the solemnity 
of the day. After having safely landed at Har- 
wich, I hastened to a retired spot, to give vent 
to my feelings, fell on my knees, and, with many 
tears, devoted myself anew to the service of my 
God, my congregation, and the Society. Then 
going to church, I mingled my praises with those 
of my English fellow-christians, imploring the 
blessing of God both on my native land, and on 
the country which I had just re-entered, and in 
which, during a residence of eleven years I had 
enjoyed numberless blessings. On monday 
morning I proceeded to Colchester, and arrived 
just in time to attend the annual meeting of the 
auxiliary Bible Society in that town, when I 
was received in a manner, which, I trust, will 
always be deeply impressed on a grateful heart. 
I conclude with that beautiful passage of the 
Psalmist, which forcibly struck me on the daj- 



af my landing: — ^^'JThey that go down to the sea 
in ships, these see the works of the Lord, and 
his wonders in the deep; for he maketh the 
storm a calm, so thatthe waves thereof are still. 
Then they are glad, because they be quiet, so he 
bringeth them unto the desired haven. Oh! 
that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the children 
of men. Let them also exalt him in the con- 
gregation of the people, and praise him in the 
assembly of the elders." 

Yours most affectionately, 

Ch. Fr. a. Steinkopff. 



113 

THE ADVANTAGES 

OF 

DISTRIBUTING THE HOLY SCRIPTtFRE 

AHONG THE 

LOWER ORDER OF SOCIETY, 

CHIEFLY 

BY THEIR OWN AGENCY. 



Whoever is acquainted with the history of the 
Re formation J cannot fail to have observed the 
extreme anxiety displayed by our Martyrs and 
Reformers for the free circulation of the Bible. 
The same feeling has been found to animate wise 
and good men in every age, since the promulga- 
tion of the Gospel; and some of the charitable 
institutions which have arisen in modern times, 
holciout the pleasing assurance, that this Chris- 
tian principle still survives; that irvany are still 
emulous to follow the example before them, and 
are in some degree influenced by the spirit of 
those who have long since gone to the resting- 
place of the just. ' 

One of the most important and effective institu- 
tions which the world has ever seen, is the Bri- 
tish and Foreign Bible Society. Its means are great, 
but its projects are magnificent. It proposes to do 
nothing less than to diffuse the blessings of Re- 
K 2 



114 

velation to all men. Its operations must be con- 
sidered in a twofold view: as a British Society, it 
directs its first regards to the wants at home; 
and as a Foreign Society, it encourages the re- 
printing and dissemination of acknowledged ver- 
sions, where they already exist; and promotes 
translations and the circulationof the Scriptures, 
where they are wholly unknown. 

The efforts and utility of such an institution 
can be limited only by its means; and in propor- 
tion to the augmentation of its funds, will it ex- 
tend the empire of knowledge and of truth. The 
assistance which has been afforded by auxiliary 
societies in many parts of the country, can hard- 
ly be estimated at too high a rate. By calling 
the attention of the opulent to the want of Bibles 
in their own vicinity, they have contributed very 
essentially to the benefit of thousands, who might 
otherwise have remained in ignorance; and by 
aiding the funds of the parent institution, they 
have enabled it to carry on its foreign operations 
with great and increasing success. Many are the 
pi'ayers which have ascended from distant lands 
on behalf of their benefactors in Britain, and many 
are the blessings which have been invoked on 
their heads. 

That a project of this godlike tendency, so full 
of mercy, and so abundant in reward, should be 
checked or narrowed by the want of resources, 
is a circumstance deeply to be lamented. Yet 
nothing is more certain, than that the efforts al- 
ready made, however glorious and however unex- 
ampled, are not commensurate with the magni- 
tude of the case. Here is a world in ignorance! a 
world to be enlightened and evangelized! To the 
reflecting mind it must be obvious, that a plan, 
wiiich shall at the «ametime adequately supply the 



115 

demands at home, and effectually meet the hopes 
and expectations of those myriads of human beings 
who, in other lands, suffer " a famine of the word of 
the Lord," must be supported by more general 
interest, and aided by more extensive means. 

To complete the system which has commen- 
ced, and been conducted with such happy results, 
no measure seems to have occurred of such 
reasonable promise as Bible Associations*. The 
contributors to the Institution in London, and to 
its auxiliaries and branches in different parts of 
the country, consist in general of that class of 
persons, who are somewhat elevated in the scale 
of society. It is the object of Bible Associations 
to bring into action also the inferiour classes; to 
collect subscriptions not merely from the opulent, 
but likewise from that large body of the people^ 
who are unable to give much, and are yet not un- 
willing to give a little. If the number of contri- 
butors be great, the accumulation even of small 
sums will not be contemptible; and it may be 
presumed that most persons, who are not al3S0- 
lutely in the lowest walks of life, can afford a 
subscription of a penny a week. 

A series of resolutions, recommended for 
adoption by Bible Associations, is subjoined to 
this address. In illustration of that paper it may 
be proper to observe, that while the committees 
of such associations are formed from the contri- 

* Bible Associations have been established in many places. 
The auxiliary Bible Society for Blackheatli and its neigh- 
bourhood, has ten within its district; and one, within the town 
of Darlington, produces after the rate of 701. a year, beins^ 
more than adequate to supph^ the deticiency of the Scriptures 
amongst the poor of that town; thereby completely liberating 
the funds of the auxiliary Bible Society for Darlington and 
its vicinity (so far as relates to the town ©f Darlington itself) 
for the supply of foreign parts. 



butors themselves, yet the stimulus must be af- 
forded by others. On the formation of an Aux- 
iUary or Branch Society, the members of the 
committee (under the designation of Sub-corn* 
mittees,) should select certain districts for their 
©wn more immediate exertions, and endeavour to 
awaken the attention of the inferiour classes to 
the importance of rendering whatever aid they 
can afford. It would be expedient to appoint a 
numerous committee for each association, in or- 
der that a greater interest may be excited, and 
that the wants of the poor may be more accurately 
known. Certain members of the Auxiliary or 
Branch committees, should also be appointed 
frequently to sit with the committees of Bible 
Associations. A proper direction will thus be 
given to their efforts; a similarity of system will 
be maintained; and the parent Society, with all its 
auxiliaries and dependencies, will thus present a 
perfect whole, correspondent in plan and united 
in harmony: a noble fab rick, in which all the parts 
are combined at once for beauty and for strength; 
whose foundations are laid deep in the ground, 
but its pillars are seen from afar, and its turrets 
sparkle in the skies. 

As the object and tendency of the measure 
here recommended, is to promote the widest cir- 
culation of the Scriptures, and to excite the 
greatest attention to them through the whole 
mass of the community, it may seem almost su- 
perfluous to enlarge on the benefits which must 
result from its adoption. In a land professing to 
be christian, where is the man who would arrest 
the free streams of heavenly mercy? Where is 
the man, who would not rather rejoice to behold 
every mound and barrier swept away by the am- 
ple tide?— to see the liberal current " overflow 



iir 

and pass over" in all its rich and fertilizing in- 
fluence? that the soil, ivhich has hitherto been 
parched and unfruitful, or " fertile only to its own 
disgrace," may smile in new attraction, and cheer 
the eye with strange luxuriance. 

If in these awful times, w^e conceive ourselves 
to be placed upon an eminence from which we 
may contemplate the ever-vaiying scenes which 
are flitting around us, how melancholy is the 
prospect! The face of nature, indeed, continues 
the same; the works of creation still reflect the 
wisdom and goodness of the Creator; seed-time 
and harvest, and summerand winter, acknowledge 
their appointed course; the earth expands her 
beauties to the day, and the lights of heaven still 
rise and descend obedient to the will that formed 
them. But the moral world is thrown into con- 
vulsions; the image of God is defaced; the inn- 
press of the Divine hand seems to be almost ob- 
literated; and the best and chiefest of His works 
—for the sake of which this fair and fertile earth 
is comfSanded to yield her increase, and the lights 
of heaven to travel on their destined way — pre- 
sents little else than the fragments of a mighty 
wreck. Publick principle has been violated; 
pub lick order inverted; the fury of the nations 
has shaken, even to their base, the pillars of civi- 
lized society; and the stately edifice itself seems 
tottering to its fall. Long have we remained in 
tranquillity, spectators of the scene. We have 
heard, indeed, the rolling of the thunder; but 
it was a distant sound. We have seen the ter- 
rours of the lightning; but its violence has been 
spent upon others. The day seems now to be 
approaching, when this citadel of libeity itself 
may have to encounter the storm; to be rocked 
by the heavings of that earthquake, which has 



118 

tumbled into ruins so many of the kingdoms 
around us. The ordinary checks of opinion and 
of law have been trampled upon with scorn. Plots 
of misrule, and confederacies strange to English- 
men, have spread with alarming rapidity, and 
have been accompanied by atrocities of sad and 
fearful expectation. Success has given confi- 
dence to crime: the incendiary hardly waits for 
the cover of darkness, and the hand of the assas- 
sin has executed its purpose even in the light 
of day. 

These are scenes at which wise men are con- 
founded, and good men turn pale. Nor will the 
considerate mind be much eased of its anxiety, 
by turning to the occurrences of private life; es- 
pecially among the ignorant and uninstructed. 
In poverty there is nothing which necessarily 
tends to debase the character. Many have 
*' wandered about in sheep -skins and goat-skins, 
being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the 
world was not worthy:*' " the Son of Man" had 
" not where to lay his head:" but who can dwell, 
without emotion, upon the wretched state of the 
untutored and irreligious poor? It is here that we 
see human nature in its lowest condition, degraded 
and sunk in shame. We behold a creature, formed 
after the Divine resemblance, but without one 
feature remainin^^ to indicate his heavenly origin. 
For him there exists no reciprocal charity, no real 
union of affection, no Christian sentiment of mu- 
tual regard. To these feelings he is unable to 
rise; he knows them not, neither does he desire 
to know them. That state which was intended, 
by the Giver of every good and perfect gift, to 
add above all earthly means to the happiness of 
man, by the society of one who should be at the 
same time the ornament and the blessing of sq^ 



11§ 

dal life; presents little else than the spectacle of 
cruelty and of suffering. The wickedness of thcf 
parent is reflected in his offspring. Scarcely has 
the infant tongue learned to articulate, before it 
begins to blaspheme its Maker. The language 
of cursing and reviling is there; and those who 
ought to be the pledges of affection, contribute 
only to exasperate evil and accumulate misery; 
—the scandal of their neighbours and the dis- 
grace of their kind; — without comfort in this 
world; — without hope for the next. 

Many are the evils, both of a publick and pri- 
vate nature, to which human legislation can apply 
no remedy: they are to be removed by that influ- 
ence alone which can reach the heart; by those 
sacred principles which are developed and en- 
forced in the recprds of unerring wisdom. The 
Scriptures have ever been acknowledged by good 
men, as the best foundation of morals; and those 
who labour to give them general circulation, and 
to excite a general interest for the perusal of 
them throughout the great body of the people^ 
must be considered as rendering no common ser- 
vice both to individuals and to their country. 

Let it be granted, that by any means the Holy 
Scripture is perused with diligence by every 
pcor man who is able to read it; what would be 
the consequence? Is it too much to hope, that the 
noise of tumult and disorder may be hushed in 
peace? that men may be taught to fear God, and 
to honour the king? to do unto others as they 
wish that others should do unto them? and to dis- 
charge with fidelity all the duties and relations of 
life? Is it an unreasonable expectation, that hus- 
bands may learn to cherish their wives and to 
love their children? that woman may rise to her 
just elevation and legitimate influence; and that 



120 

the virtues of the parents may shine forth in 
their offspring? If the blessings of Christianity 
t^hould be extended to ail according to the mea- 
sure in which they are enjoyed by many, how 
would this world of sorrow and of pain be con- 
verted into a picture of Heavenl Should we refer 
to past experience, there is no fact more certain, 
than that the religious and moral state of every 
country may be fairly estimated by the facility of 
procuring Bibles, and the disposition to read 
them. " Appeal to a christian, in any age and 
in any country, and ask him, what is the greatest 
benefit which one child of mortality can confer 
iipon another: will he not refer you to the Bible? 
He will tell you, that the streams of charity may, 
indeed, flow in ten thousand channels, and that 
they will not fail to convey blessings wherever 
their course can be directed; but that the records 
of Heaven are calculated, above all other means, 
to meet the wants, and to diminish the sufferings 
of man; to point out to him his condition; to point 
out to him, also, his privileges; to improve his 
state, and to brighten his prospects; to impart 
consolation as he proceeds upon his earthly pil- 
grimage; and to cheer his last hours, even in the 
agonies of dissolving nature, with a hope full of 
immortality*." It would seem as if the very 
touch of the inspired volume had power to com- 
municate new feelings, and to kindle new desires; 
to elevate the standard of principle, and to raise 
the tone of morals; to purify the springs of domes- 
tick happiness, to tame the fierceness of the pas- 
sions, to civilize manners, to bind in harmony the 
various " members of the embodied state,'' and to 
give to the family on earth some resemblance of 

* Dealtry's Speech on the formation of the Southwark 
Auxiliary Bible Society. 



121 

the family ak)ve^. Whenever Christianity has been 
permitted to walk forth in the native majesty of 
her form and the loveliness of her character, a 
blessed influence has travelled by her side. Her 
charms have fixed the regards of infancy and of 
age. The rjfiouth which was once " full of cur- 
sing, deceit, and fraud,'' has learned to utter the 
language of sincerity and praise. The feet which 
were " swift to shed blood,'* have run with alacri- 
ty in the way ofKjrod's commandments. Mankind 
have been taught to love one another, and ^ave 
delighted in the assembling of themselves to- 
gether: the house of prayer has been crowded 
with worshippers, and the sentiment of every 
heart has echoed responsive to the sweet singer 
of Israel: " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O 
Lord of Hosts 1 my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth 
for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh 
crieth out for the living God. Blessed are they 
that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising 
thee." Let it be granted that the Scriptures are 
read with assiduity through the whole extent of 
our population, and results like these may be con- 
fidently anticipated. " My word shall not return 
unto me voM, but it shall accomplish that which 
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto 
I send it." What though the efl'ects are not 
immediately perceptible; what though the groans 
of the creation are not at once hushed into repose, 
or converted into sounds of joys the promise is 
iiidisputable, and the blessing is sure. The 
change in the moral world will resemble the 
change in the natural: the sun arises, and the 
dews descend; but the rigours of winter do not 
instantly abate, nor does the face of nature at once 
resume the gaiety of spring: yet the great prin- 
ciple of life and fertility is secretly at work; it is 

L 



imperceptibly operating in ten thousand channels,, 
and gradually covers the regions of sterility with 
luxuriant vegetation and abundant harvests. 

If this be a just representation of the moral 
change which a knowledge of the Bible is calcu- 
lated to produce, and if the system of Bible as- 
sociations tend, in an especial degree, to the ge- 
neral diffusion of that knowledge, few arguments 
can be so powerful as those which recommend 
their adoption. To the rich and to the middle 
ranks it may be urged, " You have a deep inter- 
est in the welfare of the poor. If the security of 
SI state depend upon the loyalty and morals of its 
people, by what other means can you contribute 
so essentially to the preservation of order, to the 
authority of the law, and the stability of the go- 
vernment? Among what description of men .will 
you look for patience and industry, for sobriety 
and obedience? Who are the persons most decent 
in their demeanour, most frugal in their habits, 
and (what is no mean political consideration) most 
anxious to avoid the necessity of becoming charge- 
able to their parishes? The answer is obvious. 
And is it not then, a matter of policy as well as 
of duty, to create an interest among the lower 
classes for the possession and perusal of those sa- 
cred records from which benefits so great and va- 
rious are acknowledged to flow? 

" And if ' righteousness exalteth a nation,' if 
national piety be recompensed by national mer- 
cies, in what way can you hope so effectually to 
secure to your native country the protection of 
Him by whom * kings reign and princes decree 
judgment,' as by extending the knowledge of his 
name and the blessings of his religion? By stich 
means may this emipire be fixed ^deedj upon the 



Rock of ages, — tranquil amidst general distiir* 
banco, and safe amidst surrounding ruin, 

" Your zeal has already been attended by great 
success. By your liberal exertions, Britain has 
already become the benefactress of distant lands; 
and, while the nations are ci^umbling around her, 
she stands alone and pre-eminent. You have 
opened many channels through which the streams 
of mercy and of life may How: but extensive de- 
serts are stiil to be found, and England itself yet 
contains many a parched and thirsty waste. If 
the lower orders be ignorant, it must be yours to 
instruct them; if they be careless and indifferent 
in this good cause, it must be yours to rouse them 
into action. Show them their privileges and their 
duty: lay before them the benefits which they must 
tliemselves experience from hearty co-operation 
in such a service, and appeal to their best feelings 
by displaying the blessings which they will con- 
fer upon others. Let a concern for the circulation 
oftlie Scriptures be thus excited through the 
great body of our population, and the lapse of a 
few years will furnish every poor family in the 
British dominions with the treasnre of a Bible* 
If the poor can be induced to subscribe, even the 
smallest weekly sum, for the possession of the 
Scriptures, and the distribution of them to others 
still poorer — if they can be led to inquire into the 
wants of their neighbours, and to arrange the best 
means of supplying them— an interest will grad- 
ually be created in their own minds, to which they 
have hitherto been strangers; and that, which at 
first was a matter of indifference, will become 
the object of earnest attention. Such is the nat- 
ural progress of the human mind. Those who give 
the Bible will soon find a desire to peruse it; and 
■while engaged in recommending it to others, they 



124 

•will be impelled to examine it for themselves; t^ 
read it in their houses; to teach it to their ciul- 
<:lren; and to make it the frequent subject of their 
thoughts and conversation. 

" Let ji<^ coldness or timidity suggest, that the 
attempt will be abortive: if despair of success 
should be the guide of our counsels, what great 
project could ever be accomplished? Had this 
feeling been suffered to damp the ardour of those 
who first raised the standard of Christianity amon^ 
our ignorant forefathers, or to depress the spirit 
of our Reformers, what might have been, at this 
day, the condition of England! Was it in despair 
bf success, that the champions of humanity fought 
for twenty long years, the battles of injured Afri- 
ca? Was it thus that they rose again and again, 
after combat and defeat, still fresh for engage- 
ment? No! confident in their good cause, and ia 
the approbation of Him who is the friend of the 
poor and needy, hoping as against hope, they pur- 
sued with determination their glorious way, till 
at length they broke her chains, and gave freedom 
to her sable sons. And why should you doubt of 
success in attempting to interest the poor upon 
the most interesting of all subjects? Have they 
not senses, feelings, affections, passions, like your- 
selves? Are they not influenced by the ordinary- 
motives of hope and fear? Shall the ebullitions of 
folly, and the senseless harangues of democracy, 
awaken their enthusiasm for earthly liberty, when 
they can complain of no oppression, and can urge 
no wrong; and shall they be utterly insensible, 
when called to contemplate that heavenly liberty 
which makes them free indeed? which releases 
them from the dominion of those sordid habits and 
degrading passions whose tyranny they experi- 
ence every day? which rescues them from the 



±2& 

bondage of Satan, and converts them into the chil- 
dren of God? Are they, in so many instances^ 
ready to confer a trifling benefit upon their poor 
neighbour, and will they deny him the greatest 
which a child of mortality can bestow? Shall the 
motives which direct and govern them in the or- 
dinary transactions of life, fail in that instance 
alone from which they derive tenfold force and 
incalculable importance? Shall the impression be 
less as the reasons are more powerful? 

" Will it be insinuated, that the lower orders 
would rather associate and contribute for a bad 
purpose than for a benevolent object? The very 
persuasion of their proneness to associate, should 
be an argument for attempting, with all your might, 
to give a right direction to that tendency, and to 
correct and improve it; if, by thus employing them 
in a good cause, they can be preserved from base 
and injurious combinations, you will render, both 
to them and to society, a double service. In times 
like the present, these considerations come with 
peculiar force. 

" Will it be urged, that we have no encourage- 
ment to proceed in this work of charity? WhatI 
when millions are rousing themselves, in different 
quarters of the world, from the lethargy of ages,^ 
anxious to behold Hhe Desire of all nations,' can 
we possibly need any additional encouragement 
or motive for circulating those inestimable re- 
cords which testify of Him? 

" Will it be contended, that no great effect can 
be produced by small contributions? The contri- 
bution of an individual to the government is small; 
but it is by the aggregate of such sums that the 
state is supported. A ray of light and a drop of 
rain are small; but it is by the sun and the shower 
that our harvests wave in the field, and by the ac- 
u2 



126 

cumulation of waters that the riches of all lands 
are transferred to this. 

" ' Freely ye have received, freely give:' if you 
acknowledge for yourselves the blessed influence 
of Divine revelation, invite others to partake of 
it. The light of Heaven is streaming, in all its 
effulgence, above and around you: O, let not the 
beams be interrupted! Open for it a free passage 
into the dwellings of the poor!" 

To men of humbler condition it may be observ- 
ed, in addition to the arguments already adduced: 
^' Although, for reasons best known to infinite 
Wisdom, the Almighty has withheld from you 
rank and opulence; yet has he given to you the 
privilege of conferring benefits on others, and 
of conferring them in the highest degree. The 
facilities \vhich you possess for discovering the 
wants of those immediately around you, may be 
considered as an intimation of Providence that, 
according to your ability, you should seek to re- 
lieve them. Silver and gold you may have none to 
give; but you can give that which is better than 
rubies. You cannot, indeed, raise your poor 
neighbour above the pressure of the times, or re- 
move those afflictions which are especially inci- 
dent to his condition; but you can furnish him 
with a remedy for all: you can present him with 
those oracles of wisdom, which will enlarge his 
views and brighten his prospects; which will teach 
him that this scene of trouble is but the pilgrim- 
sige of a day; that he is but the tenant of an earthlv 
tabernacle, which shall presently be dissolved; and 
that the disembodied spirit shall then seek its 
everlasting home, shall ascend to that ' building 
of God, the house not made with hands, eternal in 
the heavens.' 

" Since the beginning of time, no method has 
ever been devised, by which you might do good 



1?7 

on so large a scale, and by such easy means. The 
effects arising from other acts of charity, must 
often be confined to the immediate object; but the 
influejice of your liberality will probably be per- 
manent, and descend with increasing blessings 
from age to age. It is an enterprize of exalted 
benevolence, which would become a Sovereign 
better than his crown, and add a greater lustre to 
Ms throne than the widest enlargement of domin« 
ion. This is a work which may bring all classes 
into action without prejudice to any: here the rich 
and the poor may meet together in common ex- 
ertion, for common good; poverty itself may be 
thus enriched, and the lowest rank ennobled; one 
generous feeling may animate all the orders of 
society, may impel them to the same labour of 
love, and crown them with the same reward. 

" What pleasure can be derived even from 
wealth, like the pleasure of doing good? and this 
is a gratification which, without riches, you may 
enjoy in its highest measure. Look upon your 
poorer brethren, and then ask, whether any delight 
can surpass the enjoyment of charity like this? — 
of charity, that extends blessings the most pure 
and exalted, to the humblest of mankind — that 
produces ' an elevation of mind and of feelings 
which no poverty but Christian poverty can ex- 
hibit's—that gives light to the blind, heals the bro* 
ken in heart, brings life and immortality to light 
among those who sit in darkness and the shadow 
of death, and renders the poor of this world rich 
in faith, and heirs of the promises. If the bles- 
sings of those who are ready to perish be worthy 
of acceptance, then may you be blessed; if there 
be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 
then may the angels of God rejoice even in your 
labours, and the Father of mercies Himself look. 



128 

down with approbation upon you. Abote all other 
considerations, let this be supreme; — if by enga- 
ging in these acts of benevolence, you are induced 
to read your Bibles with more earnestness for 
yourselves, you may become Christians indeed; 
and, howev€;r low your situation in this life, the 
treasures of that better world will be your rich 
and eternal repayment." 

And is it not a recommendation to men of all 
classes, that this system will soon carry the ti- 
dings of salvation into the most distant lands? When 
the demands at home shall have been satisfied by 
the contributions of the poor, the subscriptions 
of the more opulent to the parent Society and all 
the Auxiliaries may be wholly converted into fo- 
reign channels. Thus will the lower orders, by 
their exertions at home, greatly contribute to the 
increase of the supply abroad; and, in this view, 
may even they be considered as elevating on high 
the standard of Christianity — as becoming "he- 
ralds of salvation to the ends of the earth." 

They will share in the services and in the tri- 
umphs of those who, by the blessings of the Al- 
mighty, shall be made the instruments of" shewing 
his glory" to the millions of their fellow-creatures 
that sit in utter darkness, or that hitherto have 
only caught glimpses of the light of Revelation, 
like interrupted flashes distantly shooting across 
a gloomy sky. They will march, if we may 
so speak, in the retinue of Him who shall come 
forth " conquering and to conquer." They will 
add wings, as it were, to that angel of mercy, 
•who shall fly into all lands, bearing the everlast- 
ing Gospel. Their hearts will be gladdened by 
the gratitude of those whom, under God, they 
shall have assisted to save; and they will re- 
ceive yet a far ampler reward in that place^ where 



120 

« THEY THAT BE WISE SHALL SHINE AS THE 
BRIGHTNESS OF THE FIRMAMENT, AND THEY 
THAT TURN MANY TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AS THE 
STARS FOR EVER AND EVER.'* 



jResolutions recommended for adofition at Mee^ 
tings asseinbiedfor the formation of Bible A^^ 
iociations. 

At a Meeting of several Friend* to the British and Foreign 
Bible Society^ in the Chair, 

liesolyed, 

1. That we form ourselvt^s into an Association for the pur- 
pose of contributing toward the circulation of the Holy Scrip- 
tures, without note or comment, particularly among the poor 
of this n^ghbourhood, and that it be denominated the Bible 
Association of 

2. That every member of this Association subscribe not 
less than one penny a week. 

3. That for every fifteen or twenty members, the commit- 
tee shall appoint a gratuitous Collector (or that office may be 
filled by the subscribers in rotation, each for a certain period), 
to receive tlie contributions, who shall pay the same to the 
Treasurer on the first day of every month. 

4. That the business of the Association be under the man- 
agement of a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Committee con- 
sisting of other members; and that the 
Treasurer, Secretary, and three fourths of the other mem- 
bers who have most frequently attended the Committee, shall 
be eligible for the ensuing year. 

5. That the Committee shall meet once every month, or 
oftener, OJi some day to be fixed by themselves, and that 

shall form a quorum. 

6. That the Committee divide this neighbourhood into 
districts, and appoint a Sub-Committee for each district, for 
the purpose of soliciting Subscriptions from the inhabitants 
thereof 

7. That tlie Committee shall make it their business to in- 
quire, by the appointment of Sub-Committees, whether any 
families or indi\iduals, residing within its sphere, are in want 
of Bibles or Testaments, and unable to procure them: in which 
case it shall be the duty of the Committee to furnish them 
therewith at reduced prices, or gratis, according to their cir- 
cumstances. 



130 

8. That the whole of the Funds of this Association, whetheif 
arising from subscriptions, donations, or the sale of Bibles oi^ 
Testaments, at prime cost or reduced pricfes; shall, from time 
to time, be expended in the purchase of Bibles and Testa- 
ments, to be sold or given among the poor of this neighbour- 
hood, as before directed, until they shall be adequately sup- 
plied with the Holy Scriptures; in which case, the amount of 
future subscriptions and donations shall be remitted to the 
auxiliary Bible Society at , or the 
branch Bible Society at , in aid of its benev- 
olent designs. 

9. That application be made by the committee to the com- 
mittee of the auxiliary Bible Society at 

, or to the branch Bible Society at , 

for permission to lay out the funds of this Association, in pur- 
chasing, at the depository of the said Society, Bibles and Tes- 
taments at the cost prices. 

10. That a general meeting of the Subscribers be held at 

the in each year, whea 

the accounts (as audited by the Committee), shall be presen- 
tedj the proceedings of the past year reported, and aTreasur- 
er. Secretary, and Committee-men appointed. 

11. That be Treasurer, Secretary, 
and Members of the Committee for the year 
ensuing. 

12. That subscriptions and donations be now entered into, 
and that they be also received by the Treasurer, Secretary, 
and the Members of the Committee. 



The Sub-Committees should inquire of the poor, firsf, 
whether they possess copies of the Scriptures, and in what 
condition; secondly, if not, and yet are desirous of possessing 
them, whether they have the means, in whole or in part, at 
once, or by degrees, of purchasing copies; thirdly, if any, and 
how many, of the family can read: and enter such informatioa 
in separate columns. 

The plan of selling the Scriptures to the poor has been tri- 
ed, and has been found to possess several important advantages 
(where practicable), over gratuitous distribution. When pur- 
chased, even at a low rate, they are generally held in higher 
estimation, and more carefully preserved, than when given. 
The expediency of extending this mode of supply as widely as 
possible, is forcibly urged by the consideration, that, if sold at 
an average but of one half of the cost price, and the money so 
received invested in the purchase of more books, and this rc- 
peate4 tiU the whole fund and stock be exhausted, the num- 



131 

ber of copies thus circulated, will be nearly double that whieli 
<sould have been gratuitously circulated by the expenditure of 
tlie original sum. This average of one half may be obtained by 
carrying the price, according to the circumstances of the par- 
ties, from one fourth to three fourths of the cost price, or even 
from one eighth to seven eighths. If the parties cannot pay 
immediately, they may be allowed to discharge the small debt 
by weekly instalments; which will enable a very large propor- 
tion of the poor to purchase the Scriptures, and render it un» 
necessary to give them, excepting to a verj-^ few. 

The effect which the adoption of this system will have inac« 
celerating the supply at home, and in enabling the Society to 
enlarge its exertioifi* abroad, must be obvious to every consider- 
ate person. 



132 



LONDON SOCIETY 

FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIANITY 

AMONGST THE JEWS- 



PATRON, 

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF KENT. 

VICE PBESWEJ^TS, 

His Grace the DUKE of DEVONSHIRE 

Rt. Rev. the Lord BISHOP ofCLOYNE 

Bt. Hon. Earl CRAWFORD and LINDSAY 

Rt. Hon. Earl of STAMFORD & WARRINGTON 

Rt. Hon. Earl GROSVENOR 

Rt. Hon. Earl of BESHOROUGII 

Rt. Hon. Earl of EGxMONT 

Rt. Hon. Lord VISCOUNT NORTHLAND 

lit. Hon. Lord DUNDAS 

Rt. Hon. Lord CALTHORPr 

Rt. Hon.Loi-dERSKINE 

Rt. Hon. Lord ROBERT SEYMOUR 

Rt. Hon- NICHOLAS VANSITTART, M. P. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer 
Hon. and veiy Rev[ the Dean of WELLS 
Sir GEORGE LEITH, Bart. 
Sir THOMAS BERNARD, Bart. 
THOMAS B ABINGTON, Esq. M. P. 
ESTCOURT CRESWELL, Esq. 
GEORGE FREKE EVANS, Esq. 
JOHN LOUIS GOLDSMID, Esq. 
WILLIAM HENRY HOARE, Esq. 
WILLIAM HOGAN, Esq. 
EBENEZER MAITLAND, Esq. 
Hon. CHARLES NOEL NOEL, M. P. 
LEWIS WAY, Esq. 
W ILLIAM WILBERFORCE, Esq. M. P. 

and 
MATTHEW WOOD, Esq, and AldennaR. 



133 

TIUEJtSUEEH.'^BEmAMlN SHAW,Esii. M. t. 

SECRETARIES. 

Rev. THOMAS FRY, M. A. 

Late Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and Rector Of 
Emberton, Bucks; 

REV. W. B. COLLYER, D. D. 

Blackheath Hill; 

Assistant Secretary, Mr. JAMES MILLAR, 
Jews' Chapel, Spitalfields. 



THE London Society was formed in the be- 
ginning of 1809. Its objects are to relieve the 
temporal distresses of the Jews, and to promote 
their conversion to the Christian Religion. 

The means adopted to promote this object 
have been, 

1. The opening of a large Chapel (late one of 
the French Protestant Churches, but now called 
the Jews' Chapel) in Church Street, Spitalfields; 
where Mr. Frey (a cp^nverted Jew) preaches, on 
Sabbath evenings, a iLecture to the Jews, a con- 
siderable number of whom have generally attend- 
ed. — A Lecture to the Jews has likewise been 
established, on the first Thursday evening of 
every month, at Ely Chapel, Ely Place, Hoi- 
bom, by clergymen of the established Church, 
connected with the Society. Appropriate tracts 
have been prepared by Clergymen, and others of 
the first respectability for talents and piety, and 
printed in the English, German, and Hebrew lan- 
guages, which have already been distributed very 
extensively, and are kept in readiness for future 
occasions. 

2. The translation and publication of the New 
Testament in the Hebrew language, which has 



134 

never yet been properly executed, but which is 
the most valuable and important present they can 
possibly make to the Jewish nation. The gospel 
t)f St. Matthew, after having been revised and 
corrected by learned men, has already been com- 
pleted. 

3. The establishment of a school, for board- 
ing, clothing, and educating the children of such 
Jewish parents as may be disposed to send them. 
This school has been attended with the most 
pleasing success, and, it is hoped, will form a 
new and distinguishing feature in the history of 
British benevolence. One hundred and ten chil- 
dren have already been admitted; and their atten- 
tion, improvement, and good conduct afford the 
Committee the most lively expectations, that 
they may be considered amongst the first fruits 
of Israel, and may become harbingers of a glori- 
ous and increasing company of believing Jews. 

4. The education of Jews, who, having been 
converted to Christianity and baptized into the 
Church of Christ, may, by the Divine permissioni 
be the honoured instruments of making known 
to their own nation the unsearchable riches of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.— Four promising 
youths are now educating for this important of- 
jfice, and have given evidence of good abilitiei? 
and genuine piety: they are, at this time, under 
the tuition and care of the Rev. Thomas Fry 
M. A. Rector of Emberton, Bucks, and late Fel- 
low of Lincoln College, Oxford; who educates 
them gratuitously, and devotes a considerable 
portion of his time and talents to qualify them to 
act as Missionaries to the Jews, either in this 
kingdom or in foreign countries. 

5. The, erection of an Episcopalian Chapel in 
the neighbourhood of Bethnal Green, with a 



13^ 

. School House, for 100 Boys, another for 100 
Girls, and an Asylum for afflicted Jews and 
Jewesses, Sec. The Chapel, the foundation stone 
of which was laid by his Royal Highness the 
Duke of Kent,* the 7th of April last, is in great 
forwardness, and is expected to be opened on 
tlie first of May next. 

6. The Society has established a Printing Of- 
fice, in which several Jews are employed; and 
where all the publications of the Society are now 
printed, and any other work in the printing line 
executed for the pubiick on the most reasonable 
terms, the profits of which are appropriated to 
the benefit of the Institution. 

7. A manufactory of Candle wick has likewise 
been established for the employment of adult 
Jews, who may be reduced to distress by poverty; 
or in consequence of being excommunicated from 
their brethren for attending- the Lectures, or for 
their profession of Christianity. 

8. The Society has endeavoured to awaken the 
compassion and zeal of Christians to commiserate 
the present miserable and degraded state of the 
Jews, by requesting ministers to endeavour oc- 
casionally td excite in their congregations a spirit 
of prayer and benevolent attention in behalf of 
this afflicted nation, and also by distributing ap- 
propriate tracts on the subject. 

9. Auxiliary committees and correspondencies 
have been instituted in Westminster, and in many 
large towns of the United Kingdom, to support 
the objects of the Institution; and penny Societies 
have also been estabhshed in many places, to 
y^liich poor persons and others cheerfully con- 
tribute their mite, by subscribing one penny per 

•See the interesting proceedings of this day, in the 4th N% 
01 the Jewish Repository, 



136 

week, respectable Ladies and Gentlemen volun* 
tarily engage themselves to act as Secretaries 
and Treasurers. 

N. B. Fifty-seven persons of the Jewish per- 
suasion (including several whole families) have 
been mitiated into the Christian Church by the 
rite of baptism. 

^ Christians— The nation of the Jews now makes 
Its pathetic appeal to you to have pity upon them, 
and to unite your compassionate aid, your active 
zeal, your persevering exertion, to deliver them 
from worse than Egyptian bondage, from their 
present awful state of alienation from the living 
God, and ignorance of the only Mediator— Jesus 
Christ their Lord and ours. The Society, 
which now feels it an honour to plead their most 
interesting cause, earnestly requests you to con- 
sider that— Whilst Christians of all denominations 
have united in establishing societies for the civi- 
lization of Africa, the conversion of the heathen, 
the distribution of the Holy Scriptures in all lan- 
guages,— still, alas! the family in whom all the na- 
tions of the earth are to be blessed has been ne- 
glected, overlooked, and suffered to remain, a bye 
word, and a reproach in the sight of the Heathen. 
Surely the heart of every real Christian must now 
feegin to plead the cause of Israel, and to cry, in 
the holy energy of supplication, " Arise, O Lord, 
and have mercy upon Zion; for it is time that Thou 
have mercy upon her, yea, the time is come: for 
why? Thy servants think upon her stones; and it 
pitieth them to see her in the dust.**' 

It was a striking observation of Frederick the 
Great, King of Prussia; « I have learned by the 
experience of all ages, that no man ever touched 
that people, but he smarted for it." 
* Psalm oil. 13.— Prayer Book version. Genesis xii. 3, 



137 

The solemn promise and declaration of the un- 
changeable Jehovah, the God of the Jews, is — " I 
ivill bless them that bless thee, and curse him that 
curseth thee, and in thee shall all nations of the 
^arth be blessed." Forget not then the honoured 
seed of Abraham; regard them with respect, 
affection, and gratitude; in them was confirmed 
the covenant of God in Christ, that grand and 
everlasting Covenant, the blessings of which 
through faith are now come upon the Gentiles. 

The cause of the Descendants of faithful Abra- 
ham, whom the Almighty was pleased to call his 
Friend; the same race whom Jesus Christ, your 
Saviour and Redeemer, called his Brethren, is 
presented to your attention; and you are invited 
to prove your love to Christ, and to testify your 
sympathy, your compassion, your active zeal, to- 
wards the distressed and dispersed of Israel and 
Judah. Love, respect, honour, and relieve them; 
for they are still " beloved for the Fathers' sake." 
The kindness you show them cannot but be ac^ 
ceptable to that God who called Abraham his 
friend, and of whose illustrious ancestry they are 
the descendants. Your kindness will ascend as a 
jnemorial to Him,who,from their house and lineage 
assumed His sacred humanity. Let the Christian 
Church now open her affectionate arms to receive 
them; let her exert herself fo teach their childVeii 
again to sing, '' Hosannah to Jthe son of DavidJ 
pray for the peace of Jerusaleni; they shall pros- 
per that love thee; yea, becausp^'^f the house of 
the Lord our God, I will seek to do thee good/' 
Psalm cxxii. 6. ^ 



The Society has determined on publishing 
monthly, a periodical Work, price 6c/. under the 
M 2 



138 

title of '' the Jewish Repository" which contains 
a regular account of the proceedings of the So- 
ciety, with various communications respecting 
the Jews; and this work is particularly recom- 
mended to the ditVerent auxiliary and penny So- 
cieties, and all the friends of the Institution. Or- 
ders, and communications for the work, are re- 
quested to be addressed (post paid) to Mr. B. R. 
Goakman, 9, Church -Street, Spitalfields. Lon- 
don. 



THE END. 



' A,- 




5".- >°-%. 



